Manga Xanadu

Viz continues to expand their digital library, and this month they are making an addition I’ve been waiting years for! Fumi Yoshinaga’s Ooku: The Inner Chamber is finally coming out digitally! I fell in love with this series when I first read it for a Manga Movable Feast, but lack of space had me wishing it was available in digital. And now it is! The entire series available so far will be released at once. That is just awesome! And just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. I’m also interested in checking out RWBY. My daughter likes it, and I like checking out things she likes. Our tastes tend to align. I’m not as excited about the Haikyuu!! Flash sale (ends tomorrow!). I thought I would like that series more than I did. I read the first two volumes and just didn’t engage with the characters much. Should I give it another volume or two?

It shouldn’t be any kind of surprise that Yen Press showed up on Book Walker. They have had a relationship with parent company Kadokawa for quite some time.  I just wonder why it took so long for it too happen. I would think the hold back was on the Yen Press/Hachette side, since more titles on Book Walker can only be a good thing. Well, at least they’re here now.

Kodansha and Viz Media rule the print and digital realms this week. And like that proverbial bad penny, Tokyopop is back with another Disney series, this one previously published by the black sheep of manga publishers.

I’m back and trying to get back on schedule. I hope I was missed at least a little. I don’t have my desk yet. It had to be dismantled for the move, so I’m working from a makeshift desk; a typing table and the window sill of our computer/bonus room. I don’t have any bookshelves up either, and after moving over a dozen boxes of just manga, I don’t think my husband would appreciate me buying more manga, but I can still window shop.

Recently, Seven Seas Entertainment released a press release announcing their renewal with Comixology and expanding to Amazon. While I think this is great and all, what I really have to ask is, what took them so long?

Yen Press has the big release list this week. It’s going to be a real money suck with so many titles coming out that I read. Vertical debuts another series, and the ghost from the past publisher rears it head with their first print release in 7 years. Only time will tell if it will be ugly or not.

Kodansha has the most releases this week, but several other publishers make an appearance, including three debut titles. We also see a new title from Digital Manga Publishing, a rare sight on the regular releases list, as it seems they are doing more publishing through kickstarter than traditionally. But they get funded more often than not, so something must be working for them. Digital only releases, which have also been really sparse lately make a bit of a come back as well.

The updates are sparse this month. Most have been covered in separate press releases, except for the debut of Boruto, the Naruto spin-off series that features Naruto’s son Boruto and the kids of his generation. I haven’t checked out the previous one shot featuring those characters, so I don’t know if it’s something to get excited about yet. Not sure what’s up with the Anniversary Sale, since the PR doesn’t really say anything, and there hasn’t been anything on the site yet. I’m intrigued to see what it will be.

With Diamond shipping Viz Media titles early, last week was just a bust for new releases. Even digital titles were next to non-existent. This week is a slight improvement with Seven Seas Entertainment and Vertical Comics having the most releases. Kodansha and Viz make an appearance, along with occasional manga publisher NBM.

Diamond is one against messing around with the releases schedule, so what should be the week for Yen Press to shine, is overshadowed by all the Viz Media releases coming out this week as well. Sorry for the wallets of anyone who needs a week to replenish between the two big publishers.

It’s been a hectic few weeks as we have to suddenly find a new home in a short period of time, so until the housing situation is settled, posting on this blog will be sporadic. I’ll try to post something when I can.

Not a lot of new titles coming to Viz digitally, but I am looking forward to Monster Hunter: Flash Hunter, and learn more about the Monster Hunter universe. What I’m not thrilled about is the return (again) of Hunter x Hunter. The series has been on hiatus more than it’s been in print. Fool me once… The digital bundles are all foodie manga, so if you don’t mind your manga making you hungry, or you’re looking for meal ideas, be sure to check them out.