Manga Xanadu

I’ve started browsing for manga on the Kindle more lately. I don’t have as much space as I wish I did, the titles tend to be cheaper, and I can read them on my PC, tablet or over the cloud. It’s become the best platform for reading manga I could find. What makes it even better is when I find titles that are free!

Viz Media has started a new series as part of their Jump Start initiative. Kimetsu no Yaiba is the newest series to get the first three chapters published in both the US and Japan.

It’s a good time to be a Pokémon fan. The game franchise has just turned 20, a game series has been announced, and now, the latest movie and manga adaptation is being released this week! The Pokémon featured this time is a mythical from the X & Y and Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire series, Hoopa, who is rather mischievous, but holds a darker secret power. The manga adaptations can be hit or miss, but never fail to entertain.

More information has come out regarding the end of Assassination Classroom. The 12th issue of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump revealed that the series actually has 5 more chapters and will now wrap up at the end of March, coinciding with the end of the academic year in Japan. The students of Class 3E will now move on along with the rest of Japan’s graduating classes. This is a very clever ploy by Shueisha to tie the two events together, and will make the ending of Assassination Classroom a much more memorable event. The 11th issue of Weekly Shonen Jump had teased a “final mission climax” and “conclusion of the fated battle” in this issue, which had been read as a final chapter, but the surprise turned out to be much bigger. It has also been confirmed that the anime of the manga that is running right now, and simulcast by Funimation, will cover the manga’s ending as will the live action movie set to come out in Japan later this year. The movie’s ending was announced at a press conference held earlier this week, where Matsui explained that the timing of the film’s production led to the proposal that the manga and movie share…

Over Valentine’s Day weekend, publishers showed fans some love with new license announcements. Vertical Comics, in a panel at Katsucon announced three manga and one novel, while Seven Seas Entertainment made their announcement as a treat on Valentine’s Day.

Titan Comics first came to my attention when they took over the license for Doctor Who comics from IDW. Since then, they have not only debuted series’ for Doctors 8-12, they have also been picking up other media properties such as Heroes Reborn, Independence Day, Vikings, and Penny Dreadful. Since Titan Comics already has an affiliation with the BBC, it makes sense that they got the Sherlock manga. It sounds like Titan will be publishing the manga as a floppy comic, like the rest of their line. I wonder if Sherlock fans will be dedicated enough to pick up the floppies, or if they will wait for the trade/paperback. Even though I’m not a fan of Moffat and Gatiss’ take on the iconic detective and his cases, I will at least check out an issue or two. Maybe Japanese creators Jay’s adaptation will be more interesting.

Matsuri Hino, creator of shojo series Vampire Knight returns to Viz Media’s Shojo Beat imprint with a new series about a school girl whose a ninja. This isn’t any kind of surprise. With the success Viz experienced with Vampire Knight, it was a no-brainer that her next series would be licensed here as well. I wasn’t impressed or interested in Vampire Knight, so I’m not feeling any impetus to pick this on up either. It’s gonna be a pass for me, but check out the first volume yourself if you like Hino’s work or are interested in any way.

Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump has announced in its 11th issue this year that Yusei Matsui’s manga Assassination Classroom will end with the next chapter to be published in the 12th issue due out February 22nd. The series will be on the front cover of the magazine and feature opening color pages.

Just because the manga is done, that doesn’t mean the adventures in the world of Naruto are! This story takes place after the Great Ninja war and fills in some of the time between the end of the manga and sequel Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring. It also features Shikamaru, one of the more interesting characters from the manga. If you are already feeling the withdrawals of no new Naruto chapters, then this novel is just what you need.

February is the month that’s all about the romance, so their digital bundles this time are almost all from the Shojo Beat imprint. Demon Love Spell, Jiu Jiu, and Kaze Hikaru all have great deals. If your love is for games, then pick up one of the Hikaru no Go bundles. If you prefer your heart spurting blood, check out the new Viz Select title Judas, a former Tokyopop title that is more horror than honey.

The March issue of Kodansh’s Shonen Sirius magazine out this month has announced that Devil Survivor, by Satoru Matsuba,will end in the April issue out at the end of February.

 I must confess, I’ve only read Millennium Snow by Bisco Hatori. I never jumped on the Ouran High School Host Club bandwagon, though I considered it after reading Millennium Snow, and really loving the series. But 18 volumes is a lot to catch up on, so its lucky that she has this new series coming out that’ll be easier to keep up on than trying to play catch-up. Behind the Scenes interests me more since the characters are older and in college, and I may be able to relate to them better. And with volumes only coming out twice a year, keeping shouldn’t be that hard (ha!)