Manga Xanadu

It takes all kinds to make a fandom, and manga is no exception. In fact, that is one of the things that makes manga so great. You can find something to suit just about any taste. The unfortunate part is that it means a lot of things will come out that you don’t care for. This week’s new releases is sadly filled with titles I really don’t care for. Seven Seas Entertainment has itself a niche in one such area I really like to avoid. It’s titles Dragonar Academy and surprise hit Monster Musume are the kind of male gaze I can do with out. Yen Press is Seven Seas’ sempai in this with High School DxD, and new titles Ani-Imo and Gou Dere Sora Nagihara. I try to walk past these titles quickly, trying not to look. Fortunately, these are just as many titles I love or would love to pick up. Kodansha prepares for the holidays with two Attack on Titan Box Sets for easy catch up. I enjoyed the first volume of Noragami, despite my initial feelings, so I’m looking forward to picking up volume 2. I am tempted by Seven Seas’ Devils and Realist. I just wish…

It’s been going on for a while now. Amazon, the mega online book seller, and Hachette, the fifth largest publisher in the US, and parent company of Yen Press, got into a bit of a disagreement last May. The publisher had been in talks to renew contracts the book seller. A sticking point was that Hachette wanted to set their own e-Book prices, while Amazon wanted that power. When an impasse had been reached, Amazon did the only thing a mega book seller with 60% of the online market could do; they crippled sales of Hachette books on their site. Amazon stopped taking pre-orders, increased shipping times, dropped discounts for all Hachette titles. This included Yen Press. The batter became bitter as both sides pointed fingers at the other being the problem. Authors jumped in as well, feeling the pressure as sales of their books dropped. They didn’t pressure their publisher to back down though, they put the pressure on Amazon for being the bully in all this. They even formed a group, Authors United, to help in the fight. Amazon tried some tactics to turn the authors against their publisher, but it really didn’t work. Finally, as of last…

I wonder if Viz has a catalog of Tokyopop former releases and they just check off the books they want, or if they are going from a list from the staff, either way, they are adding even more to their Viz Select line, so they must like how the sales are doing. VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES SUBSTANTIAL NOVEMBER DIGITAL MANGA UPDATE AND SPECIAL PRICING ON SEVERAL POPULAR SERIES Catch Digital Launch Of 6 Hot New Manga Series And Updates To More Than 20 Ongoing Titles; Special November Pricing On 5 Fan-Favorite Series And Titles To Debut on ComiXology VIZ Media continues the drive into fall with the announcement of an array of digital manga updates and new series debuts for November. Fans and readers can catch today’s launch of two new series debuts including creator Aya Shouoto’s paranormal shojo drama, KISS OF THE ROSE PRINCESS and the final volume of NEON GENESIS EVANGELION. Other notable new digital series kicking off throughout the rest of the month include 3 titles from the VIZ Select imprint. Return to the world of CHIBI VAMPIRE with CHIBI VAMPIRE AIRMAIL on November 11th, savor the dark, demonic suspense of ZONE-00, which launches on November 18th, and…

Every week, Viz Media and the New York Times posts the top ten bestselling books. For Viz Media, it is the bestsellers on their site, Vizmanga.com. The New York Times gets their numbers of print sales from retailers. Offered here is a listing of these books with their status this week compared with the previous week, and some way-off analysis of the activity.   Vizmanga.com for the week of November 4, 2014 Bleach Vol 62     ∗ Blue Exorcist Vol 12     ∗ Naruto Vol 1     ↵ Naruto Vol 2     ↵ Claymore Vol 25     ∗ Dengeki Daisy Vol 15     ∗ Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures Part 1: Vol 2     ∗ Kiss of the Rose Prince Vol 1     ∗ Food Wars Vol 3     ∗ Naruto Vol 3     ↵ Just as the Obata sale ends, Viz starts a Naruto sale, in honor of the series ending this month, and as expected, early titles hit this week’s list. The first three volumes make a respectable showing with volumes 1 and 2 breaking the top 5. New shonen titles take up the majority of the list with the newest Bleach taking the top spot. The second volume of…

Kodansha pleases male gaze fans this week with new releases of Air Gear, Cage of Eden and UQ Holder. I wish there were more female gaze, non-YAOI titles available, but few to no publishers seem to appreciate us female gaze, non-YAOI inclined readers. Viz Media releases new volumes 07-Ghost and Rin-Ne. Remember Rin-Ne, the Shonen Sunday series that started as a simultaneous release, that just faded away without a word? It’s up to volume 16! What on earth keeps this series going? It’s not really that funny, and is only mildly entertaining at best, and what irks me most; no digital releases available. People are actually paying full price for this series. Amazing! Omnibuses have really taken off with manga publishers, as is evident on this week’s list. All three publishers with releases this week have at least one omnibus of an older series coming out. Dark Horse’s only release is an omnibus of Samurai Executioner. Kodansha has two with Air Gear and  Tsubasa, and Viz Media has Fullmetal Alchemist and Ranma 1/2. I think omnibuses are a great idea, especially for older titles with a lot of volumes. What would make them better is if they were also available…

Before Digital Manga Publishing scooped up the whole Tezuka catalog, Vertical, Inc. had been cherry picking from the library and pulled out several gems such as Black Jack, Princess Knight, and Dororo. Sadly, Vertical’s licenses for print rights of these books expired, and the books have since gone out of print. But, just this last Friday, the Vertical tumblr announced that the Comics imprint had gotten the e-Book rights to their entire catalog. This is really good news, as so many of these titles are not just classics, but great books that have something meaningful to say. I haven’t had the pleasure of reading all of them, but the majority that I have read have been exciting, disturbing and fun. And with the future of the Digital Manga Publishing Tezuka World kickstarter in doubt, it’s good news to hear we will not lose the Tezuka titles already printed for good. The titles in the Vertical Comics catalog that are going to e-Book are: Apollo’s Song Black Jack Dororo Princess Knight Ode to Kirihito MW Ayako Book of Human Insects Buddha Message to Adolf The Twin Knights The titles will be appearing on the usual platforms Kindle, iBooks, and Nook, and…

Collecting One Piece can seem like a daunting task when you look at all the individual volumes and see those numbers up in the seventies. Fortunately, Viz Media is making it easier by releasing box sets, and this latest features what I think was the best arc so far; Waters Seven. If there was ever a run from One Piece that was a must, this one is it. VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF ONE PIECE MANGA BOX SET 2  New Box Set Edition Features The Continuing Adventures Of The Straw Hat Pirates With Vols. 24-46 Of The World’s Bestselling Manga Series  San Francisco, CA, October 23, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, delivers a special treat to fans with the latest Box Set installment for the world’s most popular manga series – ONE PIECE. The ONE PIECE Manga Box Set 2 will be released on November 4th and is rated ‘T’ for Teens. The set contains Volumes 24-46, which comprise the series’ third and fourth story arcs – Skypiea and Water Seven – and will carry an MSRP of $185.99 U.S. / CAN. The Box Set also…

All You Need Is Kill already got a print release for those who didn’t want to wait, but this omnibus edition includes some extras that fans of the series and/or Obata won’t want to pass up. It makes a great present for the coming holidays. VIZ MEDIA PREMIERES OMNIBUS PRINT EDITION OF ALL YOU NEED IS KILL MANGA  Sci-Fi Action Manga By Takeshi Obata, Creator Of DEATH NOTE, Adapts The Award-Winning Japanese Novel That Inspired The Summer Blockbuster Film Edge Of Tomorrow  San Francisco, CA, October 22, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, announces the print launch of famed manga artist Takeshi Obata’s latest manga (graphic novel) masterpiece with the release of ALL YOU NEED IS KILL as an oversized omnibus edition on November 4th. ALL YOU NEED IS KILL collects both volumes into this complete edition and features color inserts, is rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens and will be available under the Shonen Jump Advanced imprint with a print MSRP of $14.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN. Digital editions for the pair of individual volumes are also available for $6.99 each across all platforms serviced by VIZManga.com…

Every week, Viz Media and the New York Times posts the top ten bestselling books. For Viz Media, it is the bestsellers on their site, Vizmanga.com. The New York Times gets their numbers of print sales from retailers. Offered here is a listing of these books with their status this week compared with the previous week, and some way-off analysis of the activity.   Vizmanga.com for the week of October 28, 2014 All You Need Is Kill Vol 1     ↔ Future Diary Vol 7     ∗ Kyo Kara MAOH! Vol 2     ∗ All You Need Is Kill Vol 2     ↓ 2 Naruto Vol 67     ↓ 2 Hikaru no Go Vol 1     ↵ Hikaru no Go Vol 2     ↵ Death Note Vol 1     ↵ Death Note Vol 2     ↵ Trinity Blood Vol 8     ∗ With the Obata sale coming to an end, the first volumes of most of his titles surge onto the list. Hikaru no Go returns with the first two volumes as does Death Note. All You Need Is Kill vol 1 keeps the top spot while volume 2 takes a tumble-down two. Naruto just keeps a hold on the…

It’s the beginning of the month, and that means Viz releases its torrent of shonen and shojo titles. Among the new releases are the debut of the shojo Kiss of the Rose Prince and the 2-in-1 omnibus of All You Need I Kill. For those who don’t want to pick up volumes one at a time, a prefer getting a bundle at a time, Viz has box sets just in time for the holiday season. The One Piece box set covers the “Skypeia” and “Waters Seven” arcs. This is worth looking at just for the “Waters Seven” arc, possibly the best one in the series. Vampire Knight is done, so now you can get rest of the series with the second box set. Seven Seas Entertainment releases several volumes, including the first print release of Lucifer and The Biscuit Hammer, a title originally only available in digital from Jmanga. Also out are new volumes of Sacred Blacksmith and Zero’s Familiar Chevalier, but its the new Alice in the Country of Clover Knight’s Knowledge vol 3 that’s gonna get the attention. I’m personally looking forward to  Attack on Titan vol 14 from Kodansha, Pokemon Adventures Volume 25 from Viz/Perfect Square, and…

Resident Evil is a Video Game franchise that has been haunting gamers since CAPCOM released it for the Playstation back in 1996. The story has grown and evolved over the years, and with the latest game, it goes back to the beginning to explain where it started. This manga series goes back on step further to set it up. A preview of this manga was offered as part of Halloween Comicfest, which you may have been lucky enough to get if you had a comic shop near you that had it. For the rest of us, there’s the digital preview. VIZ MEDIA UNLEASHES THE TERRIFYING RESIDENT EVIL MANGA SERIES AND OFFERS A SPECIAL FREE PREVIEW FOR HALLOWEEN COMICFEST 2014 Discover The Source Of The Outbreak Of The Deadly C-Virus In The Gritty Manga Prequel To CAPCOM’s Popular Resident Evil® 6 Game Property San Francisco, CA, October 16, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, gives gamers and action fans a special FREE sneak preview of its forthcoming RESIDENT EVIL: THE MARHAWA DESIRE manga (graphic novel) series as part of the company’s participation in 2014 Halloween ComicFest. The terrifying…

Every week, Viz Media and the New York Times posts the top ten bestselling books. For Viz Media, it is the bestsellers on their site, Vizmanga.com. The New York Times gets their numbers of print sales from retailers. Offered here is a listing of these books with their status this week compared with the previous week, and some way-off analysis of the activity.   Vizmanga.com for the week of October 21, 2014: All You Need is Kill Vol 1     ↑ 4 All You Need is Kill Vol 2     ↑ 6 Naruto Vol 67     ↓ 1 Bakuman Vol 2     ↵ Mad Love Chase Vol 1     ∗ Suki Vol 2     ∗ Trinity Blood Vol 7     ∗ World Trigger Vol 1     ↑ 1 World Trigger Vol 2     ↵ Deadman Wonderland Vol 5     ↓ 9 Well, that’s quite a reversal of fortune for Deadman Wonderland vol 5. From #1 to #10 in one week. The continuing Obata sale has again made itself felt on the list with All You Need is Kill taking over the top two spots, and Bakuman switching out vol 1 for vol 2. Naruto keeps swimming around these titles, just…