XinGanXian (literally New Front), one of the most popular Chinese anime & manga magazine, was suspended a few years ago due to a variety of reasons. Recently, an announcement was sent out by the old staff of XinGanXian, stating that the magazine will be revived under the name XinGanXian - Light Novel.

According to the announcement, the content of the new magazine will be centered around light novel and information related to anime and manga. Also included will be serializations of short original Chinese manga, stories, and other special features.

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ChinaNews is reporting that "special interest" manga are becoming increasingly popular in Taiwan, a place formerly dominated by shounen and shoujo manga. Not only are these "special interest" manga being used as teaching material, they're also creating a new market of adult manga readers:

According to World Journal, manga like Kami no Shizuku (a manga about wine) and Nodame Cantabile (a manga about music) were highly praised by the press, and became so popular that was they were constantly out of stock.

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According to this press release, software developer Voice Bank, together with Digital Manga Association Japan, will has announced at the International Comic Artist Conference in Hong Kong its plan to deliver manga to Apple's iPhone and iPod under the name "Digital Manga Project":

With a unique touch panel instead of a keypad, iPhone/iPod touch are one of the most desired mobile devices since arriving this year. With cooperation of the Digital Manga Association of Japan, Voice Bank, Inc, has started a 'Digital Manga Project'(http://www.digitalmanga.org), that enables users to view Manga on their iPhone/iPod touch by Safari.

Japanese mobile communications and media group Index Holdings has announced a new partnership with Chinese telephone carrier, China Mobile, to provide content such as manga, games, and animation to the mobile market in China:

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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:

Eddie Kang is obsessed with manga. An avid collector of the Japanese comics since he was a child, his creative world is dramatically influenced by animation and cartoons. But if you think that Kang is an otaku, a devotee of the geeky Japanese subculture of mostly men obsessed with anime, comic books and other forms of escapism, then think again.

In the latest issue of PWCW, Kai-Ming Cha interviews Rain (Ru An), one of the most popular Chinese comics artist and illustrator today:

The prolific creator is also one of the oldest on China's emerging comics scene and a professor at her alma mater, the China Academy of Art. Her ethereal watercolors were featured in a gallery alongside Korean manhwa artist Seeyeon Won's works during last May's Third China International Cartoon and Animation Festival in Hangzhou.

Taipei Times is reporting that Taiwanese officials are asking elementary school teachers to watch out for students who are reading Death Note, while the students think the manga is just fine:

Pingtung County Government officials recently issued instructions to elementary school teachers, asking them to heed any negative influence on students who immerse themselves in reading Death Note, a Japanese manga series that has recently grown in popularity on campus.

Source: MangaBlog

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:

The exhibition showcases the work of 34 artists, including media art, architecture, manga and anime as well as contemporary art. The show gives a comprehensive overview of contemporary Japanese culture since the 1990s.

On 9/14, JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) published its March 2007 report on the state of the content market in Hong Kong. Compared to past reports, this report is more concise, contains more information, and makes many references to the Japanese market.

According to the report, around 60 to 70 percent of comics published in Hong Kong are Japanese manga, and Japanese manga makes up almost 100% of trade paperback sales. The report goes on to mention how various other Japanese medias, such as anime and films, have also made great progress in Hong Kong's content market.

Source: Anime! Anime!

A Chinese company called Cayie has recently released a new brand of Doraemon-themed mooncake for the Mid-Autumn Festival, which takes place on 9/25 this year. Not only is the Doraemon mooncake cheap, but it also comes with toys for kids. According to initial statistics, the mooncake is especially popular among females, and over 95% customers bought the product based on its appearance alone.