Manga Xanadu

 There’s a whole of manga out this week. Digital Manga Publishing makes a surprise return with two BL titles in print. Netcomics also releases some new volumes from their recent titles, such as Chiro Vol 3, Core Scramble Vol 2, and Give to the Heart Vol 5. Kodansha debuts a new shojo, LDK, that is getting mixed reviews, just judging from my twitter feed. Either way, it is making an impression.

Persona is a video game franchise that has built quite a following here in the west. It has also received quite a few manga adaptations, most notably for Persona 3 and Persona 4. Kodansha recently licensed the manga adaptation of the 3DS game adaptations Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth P3/4 which crosses over the two incarnations. But there are also adaptations of the original games. This is what Udon Entertainment announced picking up. Persona 4 follows a group of high school students in the rural town of Inaba who start out forming a group to investigate a series of grisly murders. As they work to uncover the truth and stop any more murders from happening, they discover they might be connected to an urban legend of about a paranormal television phenomenon called the “Midnight Channel.” Their simple investigation turns dangerous, as they go on an action-packed journey of self discovery that crosses two worlds, and dark truths will shake our heroes to the very core, while helping them discover an inner strength they never had. My daughter was really into Persona for a while, and told me most of the video game’s plot. If the manga is a faithful adaptation,…

And we go from feast to famine as this week’s list is tiny in comparison to last week. I love that we’re getting all these new licenses, but I really wish the release schedule was a little more even. It makes buying (and writing) about them much easier. Only three publishers have anything coming out, and Udon Entertainment’s title is only tangentially related. Of course I’m going to recommend Say I Love You Volume 8. This is an auto-response in my brain. I can’t not. Viz also releases their Shonen Sunday titles with a dash of Jump added for good measure. I would recommend Magi vol 12 and One Piece 3-In-1 Vol 12 which moves the series into one of the best (and longest) arc of the series, “Waters Seven.” I’m gonna give Udon Entertainment a shout out for their Manga Classics series. I’ve been enjoying them a lot, as well as finally reading the classic literature I never got to when I was in school. This time it’s Emma, another Regency romantic comedy by Jane Austin. I really enjoyed Pride and Prejudice, the first Jane Austin novel they adapted, so I expect to feel the same about Emma. Full…

It was just a throwaway line in an Anime News Network post about Udon Entertainment’s panel at SDCC this year: Udon will also publish a two-volume manga for Sengoku Basara.

It is a sad day in Xanadu.  Having only just discovered the over-the-top manli-goodness that is Sengoku Barasra, aka Basara Devil Kings, the anime, I had to search to see if there was a manga for it.  And, joy of joys, there was!  It was licensed too!  Udon Entertainment, the purveyor of Video Game and Capcom comics has licensed it.  At least, that’s what everyone thought. I thought it was odd at first, that a google search for the manga didn’t land an Amazon hit in the first 10 links.  A search of Amazon did reveal the book , but as unavailable, but with a shipping date of September of 2008.  A search of other sites gave another date of April 2008, or available for pre-order.  Not even the Udon site had a listing.  This confused me, so, since a web search wasn’t doing me any good, I went to the next best place for manga knowledge; Twitter. A query there didn’t get me any answers, but it did get a response from Udon that they would find out.  A few days later, I got a response from Stacy King, Marketing Manager for Udon.  Here’s what she told me: UDON…

Ninja Baseball Kyuma Volume 1 By Shunshin Maeda Publisher: Udon Entertainment Age Rating: All Ages Genre: Sports Price: $7.99 Rating: Kyuma and his dog Inui live in the mountains, where Kyuma trains every day to become a great ninja. But when Kyuma mistakes a baseball coach for his training master, the local baseball team ends up with its first ninja player! Can a ninja step up to the plate and learn how to play ball? Find out in Ninja Baseball Kyuma! Boys love ninjas and baseball, so it seems only natural to put them together, right?  Fortunately, in this title, the combination works.  Thanks to some great characters, good stories and a lack of “ninja magic”, Ninja Baseball Kyuma is a title anyone can read and enjoy.

Fairy Idol Kanon Volume 1 By Mera Hakamada Publisher: Udon Entertainment Age Rating: All Ages Genre: Magical Girl/Fantasy Price: $7.99 Rating: Can a regular girl become a superstar celebrity? Kanon is an ordinary fourth grader who loves to sing more than anything else. When a magical fairy princess named Alto meets Kanon and decides to help start her singing career, their journey to fame takes off! Friendship and magic combine in this cute musical story! Fairy Idol Kanon is another title aimed directly at girls.  Singing, fashion, stardom and fairies all make this the perfect title for young girls.  Almost too perfect.  It’s a safe story with all the messages that parents and teachers will love, while the girls will love the magic and bits of drama.

The Big Adventures of Majoko Volume 1 By Tomomi Mizuna Publisher: Udon Entertainment Age Rating: All Ages Genre: Fantasy Price: $7.99 ISBN: 1897376812 Rating: While cleaning her room, a young girl named Nana finds a mysterious diary. As soon as she opens it, out pops Majoko, a rambunctious wizard girl from the Land of Magic! Together, these two girls explore a fantastic world full of magic spells, wondrous creatures, and endless surprises. Every day is a big adventure when Majoko is around! The Big Adventures of Majoko has ever thing to please a young girl; easy to relate to characters and stories that are filled with fun and adventure.  The simplistic and self-contained stories are perfect for the emerging to chapters reader, but don’t expect to see it in the hands of many over the age of 10.