Daily Yomiuri Online takes a look at the "fujoshi" culture in "THROUGH OTAKU EYES / 'Boys love' a vicarious escape for girls.":

Fujoshi is a pejorative Japanese term referring to women who are fans of manga and novels that feature romantic relationships between men--as a fantasy.

Fujoshi readers love the subgenre of comics and novels called "BL" (boys love) or "yaoi"--the abbreviation of "yama nashi, ochi nashi, imi nashi," meaning "no climax, no ending, no meaning."

Shinbunka has posted the Amazon Japan top 100 publisher sales rankings for 2007. Below are the top 5:

1. Kodansha
2. Shogakukan
3. Shueisha
4. Kadokawa group (excluding MediaWorks and Fujimi Shobo)
5. Shinchosha

Source: Canned Dogs

According to Canned Dogs, Yoshihiro Togashi's Hunter X Hunter will resume serialization in Shueisha's Weekly Shounen Jump No.14, on sale 3/3.

From Blazedent comes an interview with Takeshi Miyazawa, a Canadian born comics artist who recently moved to Japan to pursue a career in the Japanese manga market:

BlazedEnt (BE): You left Spider-Man loves Mary Jane to write comics in Japan. How is that going so far? Please give us an update.

Takeshi Miyazawa (TM): That's correct. I moved here at the end of 2006 and spent a year making connections and meeting other artists. It's an important initial step that I made sure to thoroughly cover through 2007. I'm currently working with a writer and providing art while, at the same time, working on personal projects as back up just in case. It's been fun.

Via: MangaBlog

According to Muhyojo, Kazurou Inoue's Ai Kora is coming to an end in Shogakukan's Weekly Shonen Sunday No.9 (2/6).

When something has come to an end, it becomes an excellent time to take a moment and look back on where it started and where it's been. With the February release of the March 2008 issue marking the final English publication of Newtype, it seems worth doing just that.

The original Newtype was launched in Japan by publishing company, Kadokawa Shoten, and named after a term in the Gundam universe for the next stage of human evolution. The first issue was for April 1985, released in early March of that year. A collection of images, columns and news made Newtype a hit, one that even to this day remains much the same magazine that attracted anime fans of the 80s. Since its debut, there have been a variety of Newtype spin-offs including one dedicated to older audiences and another for live-action Japanese media. A version of Newtype was also published in Korea in 1998 and continues to this day alongside its original Japanese predecessor.

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Moon Phase reports that the March 2008 issue (the first of a series of 20th anniversary commemoration issues) of Fujimi Shobo's monthly light novel magazine Dragon Magazine marks the magazine's 20th anniversary. An important Slayers announcement will be made in the April 2008 issue.

Also, Dragon Magazine will become a bi-monthly magazine starting with the May 2008 issue.

Source: LightNovel.org

Top 10 manga (1/30) according to Tohan:

1. Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE (22)
2. Mahou Sensei Negima! (21)
3. Jyuushin Enbu - Hero Tales (2)
4. Detective Conan (60)
5. Boku no Hatsukoi o Kimi ni Sasagu (10)
6. Fairy Tale (8)
7. Inuyasha (52)
8. V.B. Rose (11)
9. Boku o Tsutsumu Tsuki no Hikari (5)
10. Hayate the Combat Butler (14)

Additional Rankings:

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From Comix Talk comes an interview with rem, winner of Kodansha's 1st International Manga Competition, and Eijiro Shimada, the editor of the Morning 2 magazine.

Also, The Star Online also talks to rem and Eijiro Shimada, as well as runner-up Lim Hwei Lin.

Source: MangaBlog

Japanese otaku/doujin shop Toranoana has released its 2007 Tora Annual Books Ranking. Below are the top 20 titles (out of 200):

1. DDD
2. Hayate the Combat Butler
3. Lucky Star
4. Shingetsutan Tsukihime
5. Haruhi Suzumiya
6. Doujin Works
7. KimiKiss -various heroines-
8. Fate/stay night
9. Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS
10. Touhou Gumonshiki ~ Perfect Memento in Strict Sense

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