Manga Xanadu

Viz Media’s digital strategy and I have not gotten along very well. For the longest time after Viz released their Vizmanga app, I couldn’t install it because Google Play kept saying it wasn’t compatible with my Android tablet. I finally had to go through Amazon’s App Store and install it through there. I had something to say about that.

Viz Media starts off 2016 with some new digital title and quite the selection of bundles. They’ve rescued two more former Tokyopop titles, Saving Life and Kannazuki no Miko, both of which are also considered mature titles and won’t be available in their app. They are certainly interesting pick ups by Viz. I would never have expected Kannazuki no Miko to be one. May it was part of a digital package deal. I love the bundles they have this month. I recommend Godchild. It’s a good deal for the whole series. I’d love to get the Nura:  Rise of the Yokai Clan entire series, and wish they would do some bundles for the latter half of titles. I have Vol 1-10 of Kimi ni Todoke already. What I could really use is a Vol 11-20 package.

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.   New York Times Bestseller List for the week ending June 20, 2015 Tokyo Ghoul Vol 1     ∗ Naruto Vol 70     ↓ 1 Seraph of the End Vol 5    ∗ Assassination Classroom  Vol 4     ↑ 1 Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon Vol 1     ↑ 2 Attack on Titan Vol 1     ↑ 2 Seraph of the End Vol 1 ↵ 2 Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past     ↑ 2 Death Note Black Vol 1     ↵ 6 Big Hero Six Vol 1     ↓ 1 After so much stability last week, things really get shaken up this week. There is a new top title as Tokyo…

Viz has raided the old Tokyopop vaults to come up with three new titles to debut under their Select digital imprint. Welcome to the N.H.K. was one of the first light novel manga adaptations to come to the states, and arrived shortly after the anime, giving the title a lot of name recognition. Aion is by Yuna Kagesaki, the creator of Chibi Vampire. This follow-up didn’t do as well as Chibi Vampire, a sentiment I agree with. I didn’t find the first volume all that great. Metamo Kiss is by a mangaka not previously published here, and is a gender/body switching shojo, if you’re into that sort of thing. They’ve got some good bundles this month too. Saint Seiya, Knights of the Zodiac, is an awesome series that didn’t get the love it deserved in print. That can be corrected with one of the two bundles they have available: vol 1-14, or the whole thing, 1-28. Also available is the older teen historical, time travel series Red River, filled with action and romance. A very addictive series. I recommend both!

One of the advantages to digital manga is exactly this; being able to quickly and easily sample titles. Sampler packs were one of the things I really looked forward to picking up at SDCC. All the manga publishers would have them, though supplies could be limited, so it was best to get them on the first or second day. Even my kids, who really are manga readers would grab one for the ride on the shuttle back to the car or hotel. This new pack from Viz only features shonen titles, but not only do they offer the first chapters of some of their most popular titles, it previews the next big chapters in the stories, such as after time jumps in One Piece and Naruto, and a new story arc in Bleach. While I do like this sampler pack, I hope Viz will do one for Shojo as well.

Of the new titles Viz is adding this month, two were already published by them in print: Cheeky Angel and Honey Blood Tale Zero. Flower of the Deep Sleep and Glass Wings are license rescues from the Tokyopop days while Eureka Seven is a Bandai Manga rescue. We haven’t seen one of those in a while. The bundles this month are a continuation of their big Shonen titles, with the Shaman King bundle completing the series while the One Piece bundle covers the “Baroque Works” and “Alabasta” arcs, both good arcs. I’d also recommend the Yu-Gi-Oh! bundle. I thought the first arc was the best of the series.

I have really grown to like digital manga. Considering the lack of space I currently have, and the difficulty I have in letting things go, being able to stack digital files is a lot easier than physical books. And they’re a lot easier to carry. I can carry several different titles to suit what ever my mood is in just my tablet, and it’s a lot easier to eat and read on a tablet that can stand on its own and doesn’t need one of my hands to hold it open. The Vizmanga app has been one of these platforms that I’ve been buying my manga on, though reluctantly lately. One of my problems with it is that there is no way to back up the titles I purchase. They can only be downloaded and viewed through the app. This isn’t so much a problem if something happens to my device. I can just download them again on the new one. But what if something happens to Viz and their servers go down? They say everything will still be available and working through the app. Well, that’s not entirely true. Viz’s mature titles are not available to download and read through…

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.   New York Times Bestseller List for the week ending April 11, 2015. One Piece Vol 74     ∗ Big Hero Six Vol 1     ↔ Attack on Titan Vol 15     ↓ 2 Fairy Tail Vol 47     ↑ 2 Soul Eater Vol 25     ↓ 2 Food Wars! Vol 5     ∗ Assassination Classroom Vol 3     ∗ Attack on Titan Before The Fall Vol 4     ↓ 4 Attack on Titan Vol 1     ↓ 4 Sword Art Online Fairy Dance Vol 3     ↓ 1 The mighty titans are unseated by a bunch of pirates! One Piece Vol 74 debuts in the top spot this week. Big Hero Six Vol 1 keeps itself at #2 for its third week. While…

Viz Media has been expanding its line of titles recently, reaching into the superhero genre that is usually reserved for American comics. While much of shonen manga features characters that could be seen as super-heroes, they aren’t quite like the superheroes Americans grew up with. With the growing popularity of superheroes in American mainstream media, it’s not too surprising that we’re seeing more superhero manga coming over. Tiger and Bunny – This series began as an anime which spawned the manga series. It follows the veteran hero Wild Tiger as he take on newbie partner Barnaby Brooks Jr. Both men are NEXTs, people born with super powers. They protect the city of Stern Bild and compete on the TV show HERO TV with several other heroes and have corporate sponsors. Wild Tiger takes being a hero seriously, including the secret identity and fight for Justice. Barnaby seems to be in it for her fame and fortune. These two very different personalities with the same power constantly clash, but not all masks are obvious. The first two volumes of this series were included on the YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teen list for 2014. There are six volumes out, and it…

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.   New York Times Bestseller List for the week ending March 21, 2015 Attack on Titan Vol 15     ∗ Naruto Vol 69     ↔ Monster Musume Vol 6     ↓ 2 Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds Vol 7     ↓ 1 Attack on Titan Vol 1     ↑ 3 Nisekoi: False Love Vol 8     ↓ 2 Seraph of the End Vol 4     ↔ No Game No Life Vol 1     ↵ 6 Kamisama Kiss Vol 17     ↓ 3 Akame ga Kill! Vol 1     ↵ 8 Well, that’s a surprise–not! Attack on Titan Vol 15 debuts at #1 and pulls up Vol 1 a couple of spots along with it. It’s good to see Kamisama Kiss and Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds, both at three weeks…

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.   New York Times Bestseller List for the week ending February 28, 2015 JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures Part 1: Phantom Blood Vol 1     ∗ High School DxD Vol 4     ∗ Akame ga Kill! Vol 1     ↓ 2 Attack on Titan Vol 1     ↑ 1 Judge Vol 6     ∗ Black Butler Vol 19     ↓ 2 Deadman Wonderland Vol 7     ↓ 5 Dragonar Academy Vol 5     ↵ 2 Unofficial Hatsune Mix     ↓ 3 Assassination Classroom Vol 2     ↔ Viz’s print debut of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 1 takes over the top spot this week. Also debuting at #2 is Yen Press’ High School DxD vol 4, a title that fits with Seven Seas Entertainment’s Dragonar Academy Vol…

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. 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.   New York Times Bestseller List for the week ending February 21, 2015 Akame ga Kill Vol 1     ↑ 7 Deadman Wonderland Vol 7     ∗ Gansta Vol 5     ∗ Black Butler Vol 19     ↑ 6 Attack on Titan Vol 1     ↓ 1 Unofficial Hatsune Mix     ↓ 3 Black Butler Vol 1     ↵ 44 World Trigger Vol 4     ∗ Death Note Black Vol 1     ↵ 5 Assassination Classroom Vol 2     ↓ 8 There are some dramatic movers and shakers on the list this week. Two Yen Press titles, Akame ga Kill Vol 1 and Black Butler Vol 19 make some big jumps to return to the top 5. Also of interest is the return of Black Butler Vol 1. This used to be the Volume 1 power mover until Attack on…