Manga News, Reviews and Commentary
Looking for something to fill the wish list for the manga fan in your life? Viz Media has several suggestions including Box Sets, prose novels, and art books. You’re sure to find something to fill a spot on that list.
Every week, the New York Times and Amazon posts the top ten bestselling books. The New York Times gets their numbers from print sales from retailers, while Amazon and Vizmanga.com calculates their own numbers. Once a month the Nielsen Bookscan posts their top twenty graphic novels of which manga is included. 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.
Every week, the New York Times and Amazon posts the top ten bestselling books. The New York Times gets their numbers from print sales from retailers, while Amazon and Vizmanga.com calculates their own numbers. Once a month the Nielsen Bookscan posts their top twenty graphic novels of which manga is included. 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.
Viz Media has another big digital update just in time for the holidays. Two more titles are being added to the Select line, Zyword and Eureka Seven: Gravity Boys and Lifting Girls. There are new bundles, including all 20 volumes of Bakuman with Otter No. 9 oneshot special gift, and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 3 Stardust Warriors. It’s a great way to catch up! There is also a preview of their Cyber Monday sale. The pricing is so-so, but there are some great titles to get in on.
Viz is the top dog this week, as it has been for the last month on the New York Times and Amazon Bestseller lists. All of their shonen and shojo titles come out this week, including the final volume of Yukarism by Chika Shiomi, and new volumes of superhero titles One-Punch Man and My Hero Academia.
The 44th issue of Shuiesha’s Weekly Shonen Jump announced that the manga creator duo Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata will launch a new title, Platinum End, in the December issue of Jump SQ due out November 4th. The October 5th issue of Viz Media’s digital Weekly Shonen Jump then announced that it would be simulpubing the story, not in the magazine itself, but as individual chapters.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure was a series I could never get into. It was just too bizarre. But it seems to have found new life in this new century, as it is not only selling in digital and in print, but the print volumes are deluxe hardbacks, that even the staunchest of collectors can appreciate. Even though Viz has lost one of its flagship titles with Naruto, it is doing a stellar job at finding new (and old) titles to fill that void.
If you’re taking your favorite ghost or ghoul out trick or treating this weekend, be sure to check your local comic shop and see if they are participating in Halloween ComicFest. Viz Media has two samplers you can partake of; Fragments of Horror from the master of horror manga Junji Ito, and Yokai Watch, the new all ages series out next week. It’s the perfect selection so everyone can leave happy and spooky.
I haven’t read a lot of Tanemura’s work that’s available in English, and of the titles I have, it’s been hit and miss. But this new series, featuring a mature woman has definitely caught my interest. The fact that she turns into a teenage idol doesn’t lessen my interest. If anything, it increases it as a sort of mirror image of the magical girl anime of the 80s, where young girls got older to be idols. I’m intrigued to see how Tanemura handles this one.
At the last big convention of the season, New York Comic Con, manga publishers appeared to make their last big announcements for the next year.
Viz Media had quite a few titles to announce at New York Comic Con. I’ll be looking at these titles in a separate post due out later this week. Until then, here are the official summaries. There are definitely some interesting titles in here as well as a little something for everyone. I have to admit, I’m finding the sport titles the most exciting.
With New York Comic Con in the distance, releases this week are meager. Kodansha Comics debuts a new title in print, Kiss Him Not Me Vol 1. This series has been running on Crunchyroll Manga for a while now. Fujoshi girl keeps shipping the hot boys around her with each other, even through they all want to be with her. It don’t sound like my kind of series, but I though that about Yamada and the Seven Witches and I was wrong about that, so may be I’ll be wrong about this one too.
