Manga News, Reviews and Commentary
I’ve been an anime and manga fan for long time, and there have been some titles that were thought to be more far off dreams than actual candidates for licensing. One of those dreams was getting anything from Leiji Matsumoto, co-creator of Space Battleship Yamato, and creator of Space Pirate Captain Harlock, Galaxy Express 999, and Queen Emeraldas among many others. At best, all we had were 5 volumes of the second Galaxy Express ...
Our hero Kitaro inherits all the super powers of his people, and with this greedy frenemy (mostly) on his side, and some help from his father, Kitaro packs a wallop that few yokai are strong enough to survive. Will Kitaro’s inhuman strength and whip-like hair be enough to stop these powerful yokai from spreading evil across Japan? We shall see! Shigeru Mizuki’s Kitaro: The Birth of Kitaro By Shigeru Mizuki; Translated by Zac...
Viz continues to expand their digital library, and this month they are making an addition I’ve been waiting years for! Fumi Yoshinaga’s Ooku: The Inner Chamber is finally coming out digitally! I fell in love with this series when I first read it for a Manga Movable Feast, but lack of space had me wishing it was available in digital. And now it is! The entire series available so far will be released at once. That is just awes...
A couple of tweets came across my Twitter timeline making some unfavorable comments about a panel at SDCC 2016; “Comics vs Manga: Which is Better.” The panel was supposed to have a “panel of experts” in both comics and manga, and looked to compare things such as getting started, diversity, plot, sales, and fandom. I didn’t attend the panel, but I respect the commentor’s opinion. And the description ...
Viz Media releases all their new shonen and shojo titles this week, which includes a couple of debut titles. Kuroko’s Basketball is finally released, after months of anticipation. I didn’t think I’d be interested in this series when it was announced, but now I have to admit some curiosity about it, and will pick up a digital copy of the 2-in-1 omnibus. I don’t have the shelf space for print. I’m also curiou...
I’ve enjoyed the sports manga that’s come out such as Slam Dunk and Cross Game, but none of them really struck me until recently with Yowamushi Pedal. My enjoyment of that series has me taking another look at sports manga, and this series, Kuroko’s Basketball, has a really intriguing premise and characters that has me looking forward to its debut....
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 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, along with some commentary on the activity....
It’s Yen Press’ big week for releases, but it’s Kodansha who is stealing the spotlight with their release of the old school manga Queen Emeraldas. The deluxe hardback sold out at Anime Expo, and will hopefully continue to sell well, so we can get not just older titles, but also more Leji Matsumoto. I would really love an official release of Space Battleship Yamato and Space Pirate Captain Harlock! That’s not to s...
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 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, along with some commentary on the activity....
I wasn’t sold on Bleach when it was first announced, but fortunately, I had a subscription to Shonen Jump back in the day, and read the first few chapters, and was hooked. I really liked the characters and the world that Kubo had created for them. I was a huge Bleach fan, buying the books as they came out, watching the anime, and even collecting the toys from Toynami, several sets of gashapon, and the trading cards. I loved the ...
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....
It’s Viz’s 30th Anniversary, but they’re bringing the party to SDCC with guests, panels, and exclusives for fans to enjoy. Highlights I wish I could go to are the Pokemon Adventures manga creators panel, the 30th Anniversary Shikishi and Retrospective Displays, and of course the exclusives! I considered the pre-release of Yona of the Dawn, but I was disappointed by the last pre-release I got, so I think the Art of ...
