The demon Naraku’s true intentions are finally revealed! Then, Kagome is swallowed up by the Meido. Is she finally beyond her friends’ reach? And will the final battle over the Shikon Jewel draw Inuyasha and Kagome together…or pull them apart forever?!
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.
With No-Ah’s childhood friend/tormentor added to the mix, all sorts of new adventures are brewing at the green-roofed house. Nanai the dog, Guru the cat, and Rang the mouse have cooked up even more fun this time around: visiting the library, searching for treasure–and tailing Rang on her first date?! But life isn’t always strawberries and cream — it’s all kinds of experiences that make happy times taste even sweeter.
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…
Manji the bodyguard is known as the Red Dog because of his red hair and fierce temper. When he runs into a boy named Kal fighting the dangerous creatures known as “toys”, Kal tells him to keep away because he’s no match for them — but Manji takes that as a challenge. Soon he’s swept into the battle between the creator of the toys and the mysterious group known as “Cards”.
While the boys are away, the girls will pay! None of the guys showed up for picks this week, is it’s an all-girls special! Digital Manga releases several resolicits, and Seven Seas brings out the Dance in the Vampire Bund Gaiden. It’s a good week for debuts with Tokyopop debuting three new titles, just as two more end, one of with is their all ages title Animal Academy. Viz also has two debuts this week as it releases titles from its Shonen Jump and Shojo Beat lines, including the new Arina Tanemura title Sakura Hime. The List: DIGITAL MANGA PUBLISHING All You Need Is Love Volume 2 GN (Of 2)(resolicited), $8.95 Honey Colored Pancakes GN, $12.95 Intense Rain GN (resolicited), $12.95 Kabuki Volume 3 Moon GN (Of 4)(resolicited), $12.95 Right Here Right Now Volume 2 GN (Of 2)(resolicited), $12.95 SEVEN SEAS ENTERTAINMENT Dance In The Vampire Bund Gaiden Dive In The Vampire Bund GN, $10.99 Hayate X Blade Omnibus Volume 2 GN (Of 3), $15.99 TOKYOPOP Animal Academy Volume 7 Hakobune Hakusho GN (Of 7), $10.99 Butterfly Volume 1 GN (Of 5), $10.99 **Weekly Pick** Chibi Vampire The Novel Volume 8 GN (Of 9), $10.99 Clean-Freak Fully-Equipped Volume 1 GN…
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.
Mizuki just wants to be a normal teenage girl, however, she has one problem. Whenever she gets angry she transforms into a devil! She was born into a family of devils and now it is her mission, along with her partner Sekito, to transform into a devil and fight monsters. What is a girl to do when all she really wants is to be normal!
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!