Celsys, the company behind the manga creation software Comic Studio, has announced an English version (PDF) of the Comic Studio Enterprise. The new software is intended to aid foreign artists in the creation of mobile manga, e-books and comics, and also aims to increase Celsys' presence in the oversea market. According to the announcement, those who already own the Japanese version of the software can simply sign a new contract in order to gain access to the English version.

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Active Anime has announced the winners of its 3rd anniversary contests:

Manga Studio Software:
Lissa Pattillo of Nova Scotia, Canada

Galaxy Angel Rune:
Erin Hatcher of Avondale, Arizona
Kate Renner of Brookyn, NY

According to its latest blog post, Broccoli Book's yaoi imprint Boysenberry imprint will have a booth at this year's Yaoi-Con, with Delivery Cupid and Pet on Duty available at the booth.

Also mentioned was a possible cooperation with Aurora Publishing at Yaoi-Con:

Editor Samantha & I had a meeting w/ Aurora Publishing today. Mainly for information exchange & how we can work together at Yaoi Con.

From PingMag comes an interview with Simona Pini, an Italian/English manga translator who translated titles such as Air Gear, Bleach, Steel Ball Run, Host Club and Nana. In the interview Simona shares her experience as a manga translator:

Let's get a bit practical: What would be a typical day for a manga translator?

Well, usually I wake up at 4 in the afternoon, turn on my computer, read my mail - and get lost on the internet. I read the Panini forum because I like to read what our readers think, and I do Mixi. Eventually I start working until the morning...

Via: Icarus Blog

Beating the summer heat, contests and reviews in Episode 47!

GRIMES, IA, August 17, 2007 ??? Anime producer and mega-online anime retailer Right Stuf, Inc. is pleased to present this year's Anime Iowa 2007 special - featuring new interviews with convention guests Jonathan Klein and Greg Ayres, segments with representatives from several upcoming Midwest conventions, chats with cosplayers and convention attendees, and more - all in episode 47 of ANIME TODAY!

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ADV Films has re-launched its official website. As a result, the ADV Manga section of the website also received a re-design after almost three years of inactivity.

A panel called Tezuka in the USA: A Manga Publishers' Forum will take place on August 16th (today!) at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco:

The panel will be moderated by Alvin Lu of VIZ Media (publisher of Tezuka's Phoenix), and will include speakers Anne Ishii of Vertical (publisher of Buddha), Carl Gustav Horn of Dark Horse (publisher of Astro Boy), and Ian Robertson of VIZ Media. Speakers will discuss the experience of bringing Japan's "God of Manga" to American shores and how Tezuka's influence continues to pervade the current manga boom in the US.

Source: MangaBlog

The following manga appeared on the USA Today Booklist Top 150 (PDF) for the week ending August 12th:

• #99 - Fruits Basket, Volume 17 - Tokykopop - (Last week: -)
• #140 - Bleach, Volume 20 - Viz - (Last week: #85)
• #148 - Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 14 - Viz - (Last week: -)

Del Rey Manga has completely revamped its official website. Visit Del Rey's official forum to discuss the new design.

Source: AoD

Okazu, one of the "oldest and most comprehensive blog for Yuri anime and manga reviews, information and events" celebrated its 5th anniversary today:

Today is a milestone. Five years ago today I wrote the first Okazu post. In it, I explained why I chose "Okazu" as the title of my blog [...]