U.S.

From du9 comes an interview with mangaka Igarashi Daisuke:

With his fragile line, his magical stories and the nostalgia for a lost Japan, Igarashi Daisuke is one of the authors revealed by IKKI magazine, the experimentation laboratory of Japanese publisher Shôgakkan. Of course, defying all expectations, Igarashi Daisuke (a short but energetic and decided fellow) will answer in an incredibly fast flow of speech the questions of this bewildered interviewer. An encounter, in record time.

Dyin' for Dayan (Dai-On)

Akido Ikeda's international sensation Dayan is finally available in the United States! The mischievous cat Dayan has already captured the hearts and minds of Japan, spawning over thirty books, a theme park, museums, and stores dedicated entirely to the fictional world where he resides, Wachifield! Discover the phenomenon this spring with the first four books, published by Dark Horse in handsome hardcover.

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Plus spring break in Japan, Rocket K, Japanese 101, contests & more in episode 63!

GRIMES, IA, March 28, 2008 - Anime producer and mega-online anime retailer Right Stuf, Inc. is pleased to welcome Dallas Middaugh - associate publisher for Del Rey Manga - to episode 63 of ANIME TODAY.

In this new, two-segment interview, Middaugh discusses his career in the publishing industry, the start of Del Rey's manga imprint, the state of the North American manga industry and its relationship with manga fans, Del Rey's upcoming collaboration projects with Marvel Comics (X-Men and Wolverine) and Dean Koontz (Odd Thomas), and what Del Rey Manga has in store for in 2008, including Faust and the launch of Fairy Tail, a new title from Hiro Mashima (Rave Master).

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According to ICv2, Tokyopop has licensed a new seinen manga from GTO mangaka Tohru Fujisawa titled Tokko. The first volume of Tokko will be released in July.

In the latest issue of PWCW, Brigid Alverson interviews Buzz Dixon and Marlon Schulman, the duo behind the Christian manga publisher Realbuzz Studios.

Also, Manga Life's David Rasmussen has an interview with Seven Seas' Adam Arnold.

Via: MangaBlog

Rome, March 12th 2008 - The TAB Manga

Digital video is proud to announce the release of a new software belonging the TAB product family: the TAB Manga, a software designed to create mangas and animations from start to finish.

With the TAB Manga it is possible to draw characters and backgrounds, and use them to compose mangas -- by arranging panels and text balloons -- and animations -- by creating drawing sequences and moving elements around.

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The following manga appeared on the USA Today Booklist Top 150 (PDF) for the week ending March 23rd:

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Special 32-Page Sampler Edition of Nation's Most Popular Manga Anthology - SHONEN JUMP Magazine To Feature NARUTO, BLEACH and SLAM DUNK

San Francisco, CA, March 26, 2008 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced its participation as a Gold Level Sponsor in the 2008 Free Comic Book Day, taking place May 3rd. VIZ Media is producing a special edition (rated "A" for All Ages) of SHONEN JUMP Magazine (rated 'T' for Teens) to be distributed for free at participating stores nationwide.

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Song Siren to Perform at Nation's Largest Convention

Anaheim, California (March 26, 2008) - The new Japanese "It-Girl", television celebrity, blogger, voice actress and illustrator Shoko Nakagawa ("Shokotan" as her fans call her) joins the hottest line up of Anime Expo® 2008 Guests of Honors for the highly anticipated 2008 convention July 3-6, 2008 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. More information can be found on the website www.anime-expo.org.

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A round up of the new comic release list and views for the week of March 26th 2008: