Manga Xanadu

Sakura was never a character that interested me in the original Naruto manga, as she appeared to be more interested in Sasuke as husband material than really making it as a ninja in her own right. This may have changed later in the series, but this novel definitely does, as it give her not only the spotlight, but a mystery to solve!

Dragon Ball has become a classic title here in the west just as it is the Japan. Viz Media has published several different editions of the series, including a VizBIG and 3-in-1 omnibuses. Now, they’re taking it a step up with color editions of this long and seemingly unending saga. Sadly, the color editions are starting with Dragon Ball Z, the part of the series I would argue is not as strong as the first. But that’s just me.

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.

Back in December Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump announced that the creators of Beet the Vandel Buster, Riku Sanjo and Koji Inada, would be returning to the manga after a ten-year absence. The manga, previously serialized in the now-defunct Monthly Shonen Jump would return in the spring in Shueisha’s monthly Jump SQ Crown.

Viz Media made their debut at Anime Boston this year, snubbing the closer west coast con Wondercon for an east coast outing. They brought some new licenses including two new hardcover deluxe releases. Tomie is a horror manga by the master Junji Ito that hasn’t seen print in over a decade. It truly deserves the deluxe treatment. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 3: Stardust Crusaders already had a print run here in the US, where it barely made an impression. Just a decade later, the stardust has been re-ignited with Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 1 and 2 not only selling gangbusters, but as deluxe hardbacks as well. It seems only right that Part 3 get the same treatment. Not having matching releases on the bookshelf can be maddening, and you don’t want to make Jojo fans mad. They might pose furiously at you.

Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine has announced in its 16th issue that Hunter x Hunter by Yoshihiro Togashi is slated to return to serialization in the issue due out on April 18.

While Monster Hunter is a well-known franchise in video game circles, it’s certainly not unknown to manga readers. We were given a taste of the franchise when Kodansha published the 4 volume series Monster Hunter Orage by Hiro Mashima, the creator of Fairy Tail. Now Viz is taking it from taste to full meal with the licenses of this 10 volume series. I enjoyed Orage and the world, so I’m looking forward to the debut of this series.

Judging by the reaction from social media after it was announced, Goodnight Punpun is something readers have been waiting licensed in the West for a while. It appears to be a polarizing title that readers will either love or hate. But Viz Media really deserves credit for picking up the series that has a Mature rating, and deals with serious issues as a coming of age story that doesn’t guarantee a happy ending.

As an old-time anime fan, Legend of the Galactic Heroes is a series often spoken about, but chances of an English release seemed slim. Space operas about military and political intrigue doesn’t seem like something that would appeal to anime and manga fans. But with light novels on the rise, and a very vocal US fan base, Viz Media has heard and the series will finally be out this week. Even more exciting, is the release of an audio book version, so even if you can’t look at the page, you can still be reading this amazing series.

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…