Manga News, Reviews and Commentary
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.
As usual, Yen Press has an eclectic list of new licenses. Not a lot really interests me. I never got into Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, so an original title by the artist doesn’t do much for me. Neither does work from the creators of Sword Art Online and Deadman Wonderland. But there are a few that have piqued my interest. Big Order might have some potential, if the characters are interesting enough. Rokka – Brave of Six Flowers has a lot more going for it. Action, Fantasy and Mystery; I’m sold. Can’t wait for both the light novel and manga.
When Aoi Narinomiya, the last daughter of a prestigious family, discovers that her grandfather has gone missing, leaving her to carry an astronomical debt, both she and her dog, Sakura, are inches away from finding themselves on the street. When her enigmatic classmate Kei Katsuragi shows up on her doorstep to repossess everything her family owned, Aoi makes a desperate plea for Kei to take in her beloved Sakura–maybe she could at least be spared…? It seems through, that Kei is far less interested in owning a dog than he is in calling a pedigreed kitty his own, and Aoi soon finds herself playing the part of the young man’s prized pet! Disturbingly, it turns out to be a comfortable and reassuring life that Aoi feels she has too quickly settled into, but could Kei have ulterior motives that go beyond just “owning” her?
I caught a few episodes of the TV series Shadow Hunters, not realizing at first that it was based on the Mortal Instruments book series. While the TV series couldn’t hold my attention, I remembered I had the manga series based on the prequel, The Infernal Devices, and I had liked what I read of its serialization in Yen Plus, so I decided to finally read the whole series.
In the curious town of Utsuwa, where spirits know as ayakashi roam, lives Yue, a sheltered boy born and raised at the local shrine. On the night of the winter festival, Yue descends the mountain for the first time and encounters two boys. Though Yue wants nothing more than to become friends with his new acquaintances, Mikoto, the master of the shrine who rules over Utsuwa, declares that Yue must choose one of the boys as his “Meal”! Faced with this incomprehensible decision, what will Yue do?!
To the eyes of high school student Chiyo Sakura, classmate Umetarou Nozaki–brawny of build and brusque of tongue–is a dreamboat! When Chiyo finally works up the courage to tell Nozaki how she feels about him, she knows rejection is on the table…but getting recruited as a manga-ka’s assistant?! Never in a million years! But for someone who makes a living drawing sweet girly romances, Nozaki-kun is a little slow on the uptake when it comes to matters of the heart in reality. And so Chiyo’s daily life of manga making and heartache begins!
Yen Press warmed the hearts of many manga and light novel fans with more announcements, some of which have already seen their first release.
As 2015 comes to a close, so too did several manga titles, some that were only with us a little while, some that spanned some years.
Bell Cranel is just trying to find his way in the world. Of course, in his case, the “world” is an enormous dungeon filled with monsters, below a city run by gods and goddesses who have way too much time on their hands. He’s got big dreams but not much more when a roll on the random encounter table brings him face-to-face with the girl of his dreams-but what does a beginning adventurer have to offer a brilliant swordswoman? And what if the lonely goddess who sponsors his solo adventuring gets jealous…?!
Yen Press surprised manga readers last Friday, when it announced that they had rescued the license for Fruits Basket, as well as two other titles by creator Natsuki Takaya, Liselotte & Witch’s Forest, and Twinkle Stars.
Yen Press recently announced through their Twitter account that they had licensed the fourth manga adaptation of Durarara!! known as the “Re; Dollars Arc” with new artist Aogiri.
It’s a question that’s been plaguing manga readers since Tokyopop quit publishing in 2011. Who would get the license to Fruits Basket? I don’t think there’s been much doubt that the title would be picked up again. It was Tokyopop’s license to print money back in the early aughts, and kept the company afloat throughout the decade. It was a Kodansha title, so that seemed a sure bet, but the last four years have been a wasteland of news. But Yen Press gave readers an early Christmas present by announcing the return of the shojo series. I missed it the first time around, so I will be picking it up.
