It’s…not much of a list again, so while we present this week’s releases, our picks are in honor of the Manga Movable Feast this week, which is all about Rumiko Takahashi’s works. Enjoy as our reviews pick their all-time favorite Takahashi title.
Rumiko Takahashi is a talented and prolific manga artist. Her titles have been a gateway for many fans, in both manga and anime. She has written both long titles and short anthologies, hitting several genres such as horror, supernatural, drama, and comedy. Most of her titles have also been released in English in one form or another over the last 15-20 years. Was her work a gateway for you to the world of anime and/or manga? What’s your favorite series? Do you have one you didn’t like? Why or why not?
It’s a good, hefty list this week. Bandai shows up with the next volume of their Code Geass: Knights series. DMP has some non-yaoi for people to check out, including the latest Itazura Na Kiss, and Udon has the next volume of Silent Mobius. And then there’s the list of Signature books from Viz and a slue of titles from Yen. It looks like the pocket-book is going to take a beating.
News broke today that Tokyopop was shutting down it’s publishing division as of May 31, 2011. While the news comes as a shock, no can say it wasn’t a complete surprise. The warning signs were there, with the round of layoff in February, and the bankruptcy of Borders, their biggest outlet. For 14 years they entertained and frustrated fans with new ventures and a catalog that can be called interesting to say the least. But now, we must say goodbye to a long standing pillar in the manga industry, and truly agree that it is an end of an era.
It’s another exciting week in manga, and not always in a god way. Let’s start off with the good stuff though. Drawn and Quarterly finally releases Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths, a title they announced at SDCC last year. It’s a semi-autobiographical account of the last days of WWII by Shigeru Mizuki, the creator of Gegege Kintaro. In a more cheerful light, Viz Media releases it’s Shonen Sunday titles, as well as the annual appearance of Excel Saga, a title that’s been coming out since 2003. And on to the sad news. This may be one of the last times that Tokyopop will show up on the list, as they have announced they will be closing their publishing division at the end of May. Some titles will be fortunate enough to end instead of just being cut off by this, including Future Diary, NG Life and Shinobi Life. Get those Tokyopop titles while you still can! The List: DRAWN AND QUARTERLY Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths GN, $24.95 **Weekly PIck** TOKYOPOP Future Diary Volume 10 GN (Of 10), $10.99 Gakuen Alice Volume 16 GN (Of 21), $10.99 Karakuri Odette Volume 6 GN (Of 6), $12.99 **Weekly PIck** Neko Ramen Volume…
The Eiser nominations are out, and once again Viz Media not only has titles nominated, but Naoki Urasawa is nominated again as a best writer/artist. Is three times a charm? Or are the Eisers a curse for Urasawa? We’ll have to wait for San Diego Comic Con it find the answer.
As you can see from the list this week (below) there isn’t much to choose from, being a 5th Wednesday in the month. So, instead, we are going to make picks of our favorite manga that makes us laugh. It’s time to smile!
For this month’s Manga Movable Feast, the reviewers of Manga Village got together to for a roundtable discussion of the featured books Aqua and Aria. Aria, and its prequel Aqua, is a science fantasy about a girl Akari Mizunashi, who goes to Aqua (previously Mars before terraforming) to become a Undine, or gondolier tour guide. It’s slow paced, with each chapter being a slice of life of Akari’s adventures in gondoliering, the city of Neo-Venezia, and Aqua itself. What are your first impression of this manga? Justin: I was drawn to check it out because I’d read some good reactions to it from a few bloggers I trust. When I first took a look at it, I remember being impressed. The art is lovely, the pacing subtle and lyrical, and the narrative takes time to linger on small, slice-of-life details. However, I remember after a short time getting easily distracted. It was very easy for my attention to fall elsewhere because there was a static, muted quality to the first volume. I almost felt like, after I’d read a few pages, I knew everything I needed to know. So, initially, I had two conflicting impressions of the work. Lori: I…
Yen Press takes the week with a list of titles that should please everyone, with some action, comedy, drama, moe, and vampires. For a very different kind of vampires, check out Seven Seas new OEL title Vampire Cheerleaders. Or if you’re more into Goddess for your supernatural ladies, Dark Horse has the next volume of Oh My Goddess.
Very short list again this week, with Dark Horse continuing the crazy horror title Gantz and Viz bringing out the next volume of the Neon Genesis Evangelion manga adaptation of the anime. Persevere NGE manga fans!