Manga News and Information
Death NoteReuters reports that Beijing is banning and seizing horror books to "protect the 'physical and mental health' of its youngsters." Among the books seized was Death Note, which appeared on China's national TV last week. DATE: Wednesday, February 14, 2007 FROM: L TO: Citizens of the United States RE: SEARCH FOR KIRA Our original investigation into the perpetrator behind the recent murder of criminals has been focused on the Kanto region of Japan. While we were able to concentrate our efforts there due to localized television broadcasts, we have reason to believe that Kira is now located in the United States. On May 10th, China Central Television (CCTV), one of the largest television network in China, reported a story on a recent Death Note incident in Nanning City, Guangxi, where adults discovered among elementary school students a popular game that involves "cursing and predicting the death of others through the use of a death notebook." The report claims that Death Note is not healthy for young children, and encourages parents to protect their children from it. Source: Yahoo! Japan After the recent incident in Shenyang, Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata's Death Note is finding itself in yet more trouble in China. Late last month, Chinese officials have begun confiscating "Death Notes" around a school near Wuhan. According to the director of Wuhan's Publication Bureau, a copy of the confiscated "Death Note" has already been sent to be processed and checked. As soon as the notebook is declared illegal, the authorities will begin taking further actions against "Death Notes" sold around schools.
Recent archaeological evidence support the theory that concept of Death Note originated in ancient China. With two successful movies and an anime series, Death Note, written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, has become a household name to anime and manga fans. In 2006, dedicated Japanese fans discovered a one-shot story called The Miraculous Notebook by Shigeru Mizuki, which some claimed was the inspiration for Death Note. However, recent archaeological evidence suggests that "Death Note" may have existed in ancient China long before the birth of Japanese comics.
"A notebook that kills anyone whose name is written in it." ??? As Death Note's fame rose, it was bound to happen when someone would try to imitate the mysterious notebook found in the story. In early 2005, some schools in Shenyang, China banned the use of a stationery notebook in response to students using it as "Death Notes." While some felt the ban was an over-reaction, the view that Death Note is "a poison that creates wicked hearts" remained in the minds of many Chinese parents and teachers and protect them from the "evil notebook." So did the school in Shenyang over-react? While some may disagree, a recent incident in China may have served to further damage Death Note's reputation among Chinese parents and teachers. From The Star Online comes a short interview with Tsugumi Ohba, author of Death Note, where he talks about his inspiration for Death Note as well as his views on justice. When asked about his inspiration, Ohba said, "There was nothing in particular. I started thinking of some ideas and while these ideas were still floating in the back of my mind, I got more ideas to fill up detailed plots like the rules and the god of death and so on." According to his response, Ohba did not get his inspiration from Shigeru Mizuki's short story. Innovative agreement will provide episodes on a download to Own/Rent basis soon after they air in Japan San Francisco, CA, January 10, 2007 ??? VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced that it has licensed from Nippon Television Network Corporation (NTV) the Download to Own (DTO) and Download to Rent (DTR) rights for the United States for the smash hit DEATH NOTE anime series, currently airing in Japan.
In early 2006, a Japanese blog published an article (the entry was taken down, but a Chinese version can be found here) about a 24-page one-shot called The Miraculous Notebook (??????????????????) by Shigeru Mizuki, which was published in the magazine Comic Mystery in 1973. The story of the one-shot revolves around a magical notebook: when a person's name is written on that notebook, the said person dies. Sounds familiar? Below is a summary (with some pictures) of the one-shot: Columbia Pictures has announced that it will bring Death Note to Malaysia, the movie will be released nationwide on November 9th. Source: The Star |
Manga Zombie
Finale: Panelosophy
An ongoing conversation about the philosophy behind manga both in the U.S. and abroad. Manga Ranking
Monthly charts of comparative manga rankings based on aggregate online sales listings from Matt Blind. |
April Fools' 2007 Special Feature
After the success of two movies and an anime series, Tsugumi Ohba (story) and Takeshi Obata's (art) manga 
ComiPress teams up with writer Udagawa Takeo and translator John Gallagher to publish an online version of the English-language translation of Manga Zombie.
