Manga Recon » Katherine Dacey

Del Rey Announces the Acquisition of Ninja Girls

Katherine Dacey — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:00:18 +0000

NEW YORK, NY – December 19, 2008 – Del Rey Manga, an imprint of Ballantine Books at the Random House Publishing Group, today announced the acquisition of the manga NINJA GIRLS, by Hosana Tanaka. In Japan’s distant past, ninja warriors ruled the land. Raizo, a young man disfigured by a strange horn in the middle of his forehead, is an outcast who has a long way to go before becoming a ninja. But an encounter with a beautiful female ninja leads him to realize his destiny—he’s the last living descendant of a feudal lord family, and now he has a group of gorgeous, glamorous ninjas who will do anything to help him regain his throne!

The martial-arts-themed manga is an ongoing series that currently has five volumes published in Japan under the title Rappi Rangai. NINJA GIRLS marks Tanaka’s US manga debut.

ABOUT KODANSHA LTD.:

Kodansha is the largest trade book and magazine publisher in Japan. Founded in 1909, the company by virtue of its long history, the quality of its publishing, and its established network of sales and marketing is regarded as the trade book market leader in the publishing business in Japan. Moreover, Kodansha has been recognized as the leading publisher with a mission to introduce Japan through its publishing business.

ABOUT DEL REY MANGA:

Del Rey Books (www.delreybooks.com ) was founded in 1977 as an imprint of Ballantine Books, a division of the Random House Publishing Group, under the guidance of the renowned Judy-Lynn del Rey and her husband, Lester del Rey. Del Rey publishes the best of modern fantasy, science fiction, and alternate history. Ballantine Books is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group, which is a publishing group of Random House, Inc, the U.S. publishing company of Random House, the trade book publishing division of Bertelsmann AG, one of the world’s leading international media companies. In 2004 it expanded by launching Del Rey Manga (www.delreymanga.com ), which has grown to be a major force in the U.S. graphic-novel field. Bestselling titles include Tsubasa, Negima, xxxHolic, and Fairy Tail.

Changing of the Guard

Katherine Dacey — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 20:08:31 +0000

2008 has been a big year at PopCultureShock. We’ve expanded our staff from three to nine, redesigned the site from top to bottom, introduced several new columns, and reviewed twice as many books as we did in 2007. It is with a mixture of excitement and sadness that I announce one more big change: effective January 1, 2009, I will be stepping down as Senior Manga Editor. It was a very tough decision for me, but recent changes in my personal and professional lives have made it too difficult to hold down such a responsible position while I work a demanding day job and finish my PhD.

It’s been my privilege to oversee Manga Recon’s transformation from a weekly blog to a website that’s updated on a daily (well, almost daily) basis. None of this would have been possible without a great supporting cast: Erin Finnegan, the grand dame of PCS; Ken Haley, the manly-man manga expert; Isaac Hale, the agent provocateur; Chloe Ferguson, the girl wonder (is it legal to write that well at her age?!); Phil Guie, the movie-buff-cum-manga-expert; Sam Kusek, the die-hard shonen sports fanatic; and Melinda Beasi, the new kid on the block.

Two other staff members deserve special recognition. Michelle Smith, our new Manga Editor, has proven an indispensable asset to the site, bringing the perfect combination of editorial acumen, organizational skill, and good humor to the sometimes grungy task of running a website. As of January 1st, Michelle will assume editorial responsibility for PopCultureShock. From the brief time we’ve worked together, I can say with confidence that Michelle will do a terrific job in her expanded role.

The other person who deserves a standing ovation is Jon Haehnle, our webmaster. I’m grateful to Jon for his superb design skill, for his friendship, and for his willingness to take on a chance on me back in 2006 when I was just one more person blogging about manga. I am always impressed by Jon’s MacGuyver-esque talent for creating cool websites out of the barest materials, and for handling stressful situations with good grace and good humor.

Though I’m hanging up my editorial hat, I’m going to continue writing about and reviewing manga. I plan to remain active with Brigid Alverson’s Good Comics for Kids, a great website for parents, teachers, and librarians in search of kid-friendly comics. And David Welsh has graciously agreed to let me contribute to Precocious Curmudgeon until I find more permanent digs. I’m not sure what else the future holds for me comics-wise, though I know this: I’m too much of a manga maniac to be away for long.

Thank you for supporting us, and may 2009 be an even bigger and better year for PopCultureShock!

–Kate

Going forward, press releases should be sent to Melinda Beasi’s attention at manga@popcultureshock.com. Review copies should be sent to Jon Haehnle at the following address:

Jon Haehnle, Webmaster
PopCultureShock
c/o Midtown Comics
200 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018

Manga Recon Roundtable: Rescue Me!

Katherine Dacey — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:07:33 +0000

Our original plan had been to launch a high-profile campaign to save Suppli. The recent announcement of more layoffs and production delays at Tokyopop, however, made our campaign seem in poor taste–after all, Suppli wasn’t scrapped because it was a lousy series, or because Stu Levy hates office lady manga, but because it wasn’t posting good sales figures. Instead, we decided to take a broader look at the problem of cancellations, singling out titles that we think deserve a second chance to find an audience. We hope that a few publishers consider licensing titles on our wish list, as we know we’re not alone in wanting to see these series to their conclusions.

As a fan, it’s tempting to vent your spleen at a publisher who’s axed a favorite series. But boycotts and electronic screeds do little to sway companies; sales figures are far more persuasive. (You know the saying: “Money talks.”) So if a series you love is in jeopardy, buy copies. Encourage your library to buy copies. Post positive reviews on your blog. Talk it up on internet forums. Write a polite letter (not an email–email is cheap, folks) to the company’s Publisher or Editorial Director, explaining why you think the series should be saved. Fans of Suppli, for example, might consider writing a letter to Marco Pavia, Tokyopop’s Associate Publisher. His address:

TOKYOPOP
People’s Bank Building
5900 Wilshire Boulevard, 20th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90036-5020

Your letter should be brief and polite, telling him why you think this series needs to remain on Tokyopop’s schedule in 2009. Don’t diss Tokyopop’s other products (whatever you think of Cine-Manga and Castlevania), don’t insult employees, and don’t threaten meaningless action such as a boycott. (Six fewer customers isn’t going to drive Tokyopop into financial ruin.) A positive, passionate letter will make a much better impression, even if it doesn’t ultimately save Suppli from licensing limbo.

So without further ado, here is our roundtable discussion exploring the vexing question of cancellations.

KATE: What cancelled series would you most like to see rescued, and why?

MICHELLE: Foremost in my mind is Suppli, which we’ve been talking about on the site lately. I would also like to see Kindaichi Case Files finish up. Tokyopop had planned to publish that series in twenty volumes, so they had really almost made it to the end. With the current circumstances at that company, I feel a little bad pressuring them to keep up with unprofitable series, but these are the two that I mourn most. I’m also worried about the fate of Silver Diamond, one of my new favorite titles that they publish.

MELINDA: There are two that jump to my mind immediately, and I don’t know which to choose. I’ll try both. First, I was broken-hearted when I found out that the Kino no Tabi light novels were in licensing limbo. I’m a huge fan of the anime series, and Tokyopop’s release of the first novel was such a favorite of mine, I gave copies of it to half my family for Christmas last year. Kino is a type of female character we don’t see a lot of in other Japanese imports, and I’ve never been able to quite decide if I love her, or if I want to be her.

Secondly, somebody please save Yotsuba&! I don’t care if it’s ADV or someone else, but I am utterly charmed by this series (and really anything that Kiyohiko Azuma does), and I want more. It’s got a delightful kind of humor that is appealing to most anyone, which is a difficult thing to find.

CHLOE: I’ll second the request for a rescue of Kino no Tabi–I think it’s an exceptionally good piece of YA writing, even in an overcrowded young adult reading market. I’ll also toss in a request for Tokyopop’s Saver to meet with a happier end. I know it cropped up on the “stopped releases” list TP put out after their restructuring… and that’s a shame, given the series is a weird anomaly in the shojo market: an ultraserious gender bender where the heroine is more of the masculine ideal than any of the actual men in the series.

ISAAC: Oooh, I’m all over this roundtable! I always get really fired up when my favorite series’ languish unfinished! So, here are some of my choices, in order of how mad it makes me to think of their cancellation:

Off*Beat: Despite having a select few good titles in their sea of mediocre shojo throwaways, Tokyopop’s library needs to hold on to every last quality title it can get its paws onto. Though Tokyopop has been getting a lot of flack from us about cancelling Suppli (standing with you guys!), I think an even bigger loss is the third and final volume of Jen Lee Qucik’s masterpiece OEL manga Off*Beat. Following the stumbling teenager Tory Blake as he wades through his suspicions and feelings with his new next door neighbor Colin, this comic is a beautiful and telling depiction of the teen psyche. This comic really resonated with me on a deep level, and is easily one of my favorite works to this day. That this series was dropped from Tokyopop is a terrible tragedy. I’ve been boycotting Tokyopop in protest since they canceled Off*Beat last year.
Yotusba&!: This is a title in ADV’s current (and maybe final?) limbo. Weirdly enough, this series actually sold well, making it an odd victim of ADV Manga’s collapse. From the brilliant creator of Azumanga Daioh, Yotsuba&! is easily one of the most lighthearted, uplifting and and cheerful manga you will ever read. It’s truly an experience, and I hope that someone, anyone, will pick it up soon! For a huge recommendation, see Shaenon Garrity’s brilliant review.
What’s Michael? and Club 9: These series have never been particularly high profile in the manga blogosphere, namely because they were published before manga got big here in the US. These two titles by Makoto Kobayashi were part of Dark Horse’s pioneering manga efforts, and are true gems. What’s Michael? is easily the cutest, funniest and most spot on depiction of cats I have ever seen. We got a large dose of the masterpiece in Dark Horse’s releases, but there’s a TON of material that never made it stateside. Maybe an omnibus re-release *hint* *hint*? Club 9 is likewise hilarious, about, in Shaenon Garrity’s words: “an irresistible big-boned farmgirl who moves to Tokyo and becomes a bar hostess.” This is by no means the masterpiece that What’s Michael? is, but dammit I want more just the same! They both rock! For more info, see Shaenon Garrity’s Overlooked Manga Festival entry for What’s Michael?
Cromartie High School: Like Yotsuba&!, this title is in ADV limbo. It’s simply the funniest comic I’ve ever read outside of Calvin and Hobbes. And trust me, I read a lot of comics. There are twelve highly episodic volumes out now, so don’t hesitate: buy this manga now! Maybe then someone will rescue it…
Kizuna – Bonds of Love: A true classic yaoi title that’s been seemingly lost in American publisher BeBeautiful’s imbroglio with Japanese publisher Libre. They were so close to releasing volume 9 of master-mangaka Kazuma Kodaka’s magnum opus too! This is probably the best yaoi title in the states right now that isn’t by Fumi Yoshinaga. I’m hoping to either DMP, BLU or Deux will give this series a new lease on life ASAP!
Even A Monkey Can Draw Manga: I’m not sure if this is fair. But, Viz opted only to do one volume. This is an awesome satire of everything manga, and is pretty much a non-stop laugh. I cannot recommend it enough! Now that Japan has gotten a deluxe two-volumes-in-one repackaging of the series, maybe Viz will re-release all of the material? I mean, a guy can hope right? Again, check out Shaenon Garrity’s wonderful OMF entry for more reasons to get this yesterday!

Despite their publishing woes, I cannot recommend the above series enough. The more you go out and buy them, the more incentive for them to be picked up again! If I do say so myself, these are all golden titles that really deserve a second chance at life. Even if you can’t afford ‘em, check them out at your local library/ make your local library get them ASAP. No manga man should miss out on these gems!

MICHELLE: Oooh, yes please to more What’s Michael?. I would totally buy an uncensored version in omnibus format. The volumes they did publish aren’t too hard to locate online, but I just can’t bring myself to purchase them knowing stories are missing and armed with the hope that one day, a complete edition will see release. The page at Shaenon’s site with Doris, the butcher shop’s cat, is pure brilliance.

SAM: Oh man, What’s Michael is just genius throughout.

I think I would save Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. It’s quite possibly one of the most original shonen that I’ve read yet and sadly, it didn’t pick up as well as I would’ve thought. Viz moved it to a quarterly release instead of every other month and they only have three volumes to go, so I mean even if it doesn’t work, take your losses guys!

I totally agree with Cromartie High School and Even a Monkey can Draw Manga.

KATE: I second the choices that other people have made, especially Club 9, What’s Michael, Yotsuba&!, and Suppli. The last one really pains me, as Suppli’s cancellation marks the second time Tokyopop has made an effort to court older female readers, only to abandon the project when it didn’t produce immediate sales. (You might remember that Tokyopop launched a “Passion Fruit” line a few years ago featuring titles by Erika Sakurazawa and Mari Okazaki; that, too, posted disappointing numbers and was dropped.) If josei is going to find a readership in the US, publishers need to be more patient; none of the usual avenues for building a fanbase will work for a title like Suppli.

Other titles I’d like to see rescued from licensing limbo:

Bow Wow Wata (Raijin Comics), a comedy about a vet who speaks to animals. It’s a little bit like Doctor Doolittle, only much, much weirder.
Duck Prince (Central Park Media), Ai Morinaga’s unique take on “The Ugly Duckling.” I know a lot of people dislike this series, but I found it funny, outrageous, and strangely moving, not least for the spectacle of a young man worrying obsessively about his appearance.
Platina (Central Park Media), a goofy Korean title about an emotionless young woman assigned the babysitting detail from hell: her charge turns into a mischievous kitsune for twelve hours every day. Hijinks ensue. (Often involving guns and kidnappers, for reasons that remain unclear.) I’d be the first to admit that the story doesn’t make much sense, but the art is tod chic and the jokes hilarious–characters routinely break the fourth wall to speculate on the action and critique the artist’s skills.
Qwan (Tokyopop), an adventure series about a mysterious boy who consumes demons, absorbing their powers in the process. It sounds like generic shonen fodder, but Shizimu’s stunning artwork and intelligent use of Chinese folklore keep the story fresh. Tokyopop released the first four volumes, but five and six (now out in Japan) appear to be on indefinite hold.
Satsuma Gishiden (Dark Horse), a hyper-violent samurai drama that’s equal parts Kagemusha and The Wild Bunch–the kind of manga where someone is murdered, trampled, run through, or betrayed about once every five or ten pages. My description doesn’t do the series justice–there’s actually a rich, complicated backstory that drives the plot. It just doesn’t sound very sexy, as it involves a massive public works project, compulsory labor, and corrupt local politicians. (Not unlike The Big Dig.) If you’re the kind of person who likes a historical drama to capture the small, messy details of everyday life (and not just the big pageant-y moments), you might like Satsuma Gishiden.

I also wouldn’t mind seeing someone finish Gunslinger Girl (ADV), which I enjoyed but didn’t love.

ERIN: I made a bunch of What’s Michael? buttons early in 2008 and started giving them out to bloggers and publishers. The buttons say, “What’s Michael Omnibus – Let’s Try!” I still have some left, and can send them out (free) to PCS writers first, and anyone else who might want them second. Email me and we’ll arrange something: erin (dot) finnegan (at) gmail (dot) com.

Obviously Suppli is on my list.

I would super-love to see Even a Monkey can Draw Manga picked up again! I had a friend pick up the Japanese editions for me so I can stare at them longingly. It’s one of my favorite series – if not my top favorite manga series ever. I’ve written my full endorsement here.

I’m going to miss Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad. I didn’t realize how long the series was when I started buying it, (over 30 volumes?!) and it took me a couple volumes to get into it, but now I really like it. Tokyopop is stopping at number twelve. I picked it up based on the recommendation of the Mangacast and the Samacast back in 2005, so now I feel nostalic for Ed’s and Jarred’s descriptions when I read it. You can check out my review of the (complete) anime series in OtakuUSA. In fact, reading solanin made me want to read more Beck (both are about young slackers in struggling indy rock bands).

After I picked up Tekkonkinkreet I went to great lengths to pick up Taiyo Matsumoto’s No. 5. Only two volumes were released by Viz back in the day. I guess I could collect the French editions up through the eigth volume if I were really desperate to see the rest… No. 5 is a story about futuristic super-assasins (like Afro-Samurai) told in a bizarre, psychedelic style (like Yellow Submarine). Why hasn’t this been an Overlooked Manga Festival entry? Why haven’t I posted about it anywhere? I’ve certainly covered it in manga panels I gave this year.

I’ll also second Katherine’s call for Satsuma Gishiden.

MICHELLE: I’m not sure how reliable Amazon is, but they do show the 13th volume of Beck coming out in June 2009. That would be a newer listing than all those October ones for books that never materialized, so perhaps it’s the real deal.

ERIN: I’d hate to be a nerd getting things wrong on the internet! I got the Beck idea from Chris Butcher. I can’t seem to confirm that information.

Also note that Amazon lists volume four of Suppli.

MICHELLE: Oh, definitely. That was one of the October ones I was talking about. The Beck listing could be just as erroneous. It’s a tiny, tiny grain of hope, at least.

KEN: I wouldn’t mind seeing Satsuma Gishiden rescued or continued, if only so I could find a copy someplace. I kept meaning to try it out but I could only ever find the second volume locally.

Speaking of Dark Horse series that should be continued or saved… Museum of Terror, please! There’s not enough Junji Ito available in the US and more MoT would go a long way to rectifying that situation. I can kind of understand no one publishing the entire run though, from what I’ve heard it’s around twenty volumes and if they’re all as big as the first three, well… I can see where it might be a bit intimidating. I do think it’s the kind of series that could sustain a volume or two a year though, especially if they’re timed for an October-ish release.

ISAAC: Count me in on those buttons! What’s Michael? is truly a medium-transcending work! I have tons of friends who aren’t into manga who think What’s Michael? is awesome!

That Suppli listing is definitely not meaningful. Its listed for an Oct. 4th release with no cover and no availability. Not such a hot sign that. For a similarly depressing Amazon entry, see the page for volume three of Off*Beat. If an award-winning series like Off*Beat can get the axe, what’s next? I hope Tokyopop loses the ultra-bland shojo fluff. Maybe then they could bring back gems like Suppli and Off*Beat.

ERIN: When I was making copies for the What’s Michael? buttons, a 50-something Staples employee started telling me about her favorite webcomic, which involved a cat. I think that’s testament to the wide-appeal of cat-related comics!

At MangaNext the girl running the “Unknown Manga” panel highly recommended Off*Beat.

CHLOE: As far as saving series go, that’s a tough question to answer. Potential sales would obviously need to see a boost, but series like Yotsuba&! prove that even fan demand and critical acclaim can fail when it comes to getting a series back on the market. That said, touting a series can’t be a bad thing, nor can buying a few (dozen) copies of the actual books. While we’re on the topic of “books in need of a sales boost or dire things may occur” I’d like to remind everyone with legs to go buy themselves a copy of Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, another underloved series that I missed the first time around!

KATE: I’d love to see publishers explore the possibilities of digital distribution. It seems like a less costly way to finish series that don’t find a big audience, as well as a way to test riskier material before committing to print editions. NETCOMICS provides an instructive model: it uses its website to roll out new titles, establish a fanbase for them, and determine which ones are popular enough to warrant print editions. Some series never reach print; other series begin their run in print and end their run online. Either way, I know I’ll be able to finish a NETCOMICS series, which makes me feel much more likely to try other titles from their catalog.

To wrap up our discussion, I’m including a complete list of canceled titles mentioned in the article above. If you have information about the status of any of these series, please let us know in the comments below. Links would be appreciated as well.

CANCELLATION HALL OF SHAME

Bow Wow Wata (Raijin Comics)
Club 9 (Dark Horse)
Cromartie High School (ADV)
Duck Prince (CPM)
Even a Monkey Can Draw Manga (Viz)
Gunslinger Girl (ADV)
Kindaichi Case Files (Tokyopop)
Kizuna: Bonds of Love (BeBeautiful)
Kino no Tabi/Kino’s Journey (Tokyopop)
Museum of Terror (Dark Horse)
No. 5 (Viz)
Off*Beat (Tokyopop)
Platina (CPM)
Qwan (Tokyopop)
Satsuma Gishiden (Dark Horse)
Saver (Tokyopop)
Suppli (Tokyopop)
What’s Michael? (Dark Horse)
Yotsuba&! (ADV)

SERIES IN JEOPARDY OF CANCELLATION

Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad (Tokyopop)
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (Viz)

Naruto, Bleach and Death Note Now Available in Canada via iTunes

Katherine Dacey — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:26:31 +0000

San Francisco, CA, December 16, 2008 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, today announced the availability of action-packed episodes from some of the most anticipated animated series have come to the iTunes® Store in Canada (www.iTunes.ca) English dubbed versions of NARUTO (Uncut Version) Season 1, 2 and 3 (Volumes 1 & 2), three story arcs of BLEACH (The Substitute, The Entry and The Rescue), and all 37 episodes of DEATH NOTE are now available for purchase and download on the iTunes Store in Canada. To celebrate the availability of this highly sought after anime content, VIZ Media is offering the first episode of NARUTO, BLEACH and DEATH NOTE as a free download on the iTunes Store in Canada until January 6, 2009.

NARUTO, BLEACH and DEATH NOTE have emerged as three of the world’s most popular Japanese animated series, each attracting millions of devoted viewers with a blend of stylish animation, multi-faceted characters and riveting story lines.

“We are excited to make NARUTO, BLEACH and DEATH NOTE available on iTunes in Canada,” says David Rewalt, Senior Director, Retail Development, VIZ Media. “The flexibility and convenience of iTunes will allow Canadian fans to watch their favorite episodes whenever and wherever they want on their iPod or iPhone. It’s very natural for a hip entertainment and pop culture phenomenon like anime to take full advantage of the latest in digital media delivery and we invite fans in Canada to become part of the growing audience enjoying these VIZ Media titles on iTunes.”

NARUTO (Uncut): Rated T+ for Older Teens
NARUTO has become the hottest animated series across North America and is one of VIZ Media’s most successful manga and animated properties in terms of sales. Created by Masashi Kishimoto, the series depicts the adventures of a young boy named Uzumaki Naruto who trains to become a ninja. The boy is cursed with the spirit of a nine-tailed fox demon and is forced to live a bullied life discriminated against by his fellow villagers. Naruto is resilient and undaunted in his quest to become a master ninja and his determination often inspires those around him. Through amazing adventures, the young ninja learns the importance of friendship, teamwork, loyalty, hard work, creativity, ingenuity, and right vs. wrong. Dedicated website at www.naruto.com.

BLEACH: Rated T for Teens
BLEACH, an animated, hyperkinetic, ghost-busting action series is the story of a 15 year-old named Ichigo Kurosaki who was born with the ability to see ghosts. When his family is attacked by a Hollow – a malevolent lost soul – Ichigo encounters a Soul Reaper and absorbs her powers. Now he has dedicates his life to protecting the innocent and helping the tortured souls find peace. Dedicated website at www.bleach.viz.com.

DEATH NOTE: Rated T+ for Older Teens
DEATH NOTE is based on the manga series of the same name and is currently one of the hottest animated titles in Japan. The series depicts the adventures of Light Yagami, an ace student with great prospects but who is bored out of his mind. All of that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals mysteriously begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to investigate, and he is soon hot on the trail of Light, who must now reevaluate his one noble goal. Dedicated website at www.deathnote.viz.com.

Episodes on the iTunes Store in Canada are C$1.99 each or full seasons can be purchased. These titles are also available on the iTunes Store in the US.

About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), is one of the most comprehensive and innovative companies in the field of manga (graphic novel) publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japan’s largest creators and licensors of manga and animation, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa and is a global ex-Asia licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including magazines such as SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT, graphic novels, and DVDs, and develops, markets, licenses, and distributes animated entertainment for audiences and consumers of all ages. Contact VIZ Media at 295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133; Phone (415) 546-7073; Fax (415) 546-7086; and web site at www.VIZ.com.

UDON Announces Manga Line for Kids 12 and Under

Katherine Dacey — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:17:38 +0000

Toronto, ON – December 17, 2008 – Manga’s popularity in North America has exploded in recent years, with diverse titles covering almost every genre imaginable. But for kids 12 and under, there are still almost no age appropriate manga series available on bookstore shelves other than occasional spin off or promotional tie-ins from Anime shows or products. To fill the void, UDON Entertainment has teamed with Japanese publisher Poplar to bring a new line of original Kids Manga to North America.

This new line, branded UDON KIDS will give younger readers their first chance to join in on the exciting world of manga they’ve seen their older brothers and sisters enjoying so much. Each series under the UDON Kids Manga banner will be guaranteed safe for kids 12 and under, giving parents and librarians a variety of books they can be confident are suitable for their young ones.

“We have spent the last two years researching the Japanese manga market to look for titles suitable for kids in America.” says UDON’s Chief of Ops Erik Ko. “The titles we`ve chosen to launch this line are meant to be enjoyed for their captivating stories, and are not trying to sell kids on the latest animated series or card game like too many manga series are these days.”

The first four series in the UDON Kids Manga line cover popular genres that kids love – Fantasy, Sports, Music, and Space. They all follow the idea of ordinary kids teaming up with a fantastic new friend for wondrous and exciting adventures:

THE BIG ADVENTURES OF MAJOKO – Follow the adventures of a human girl and her new wizard friend Majoko, as they explore the Land of Magic and its many wonders.

NINJA BASEBALL KYUMA – After a little ninja named Kyuma mistakes the team captain for his master, he becomes the local baseball team’s first ever ninja player!

FAIRY IDOL KANON – Kanon was just an ordinary girl who loved to sing… but now with the help of a magical fairy, she’s on her way to becoming a pop idol!

SWANS IN SPACE – Two young girls are recruited by a cute, bear-like alien into the Space Patrol, a secret organization dedicated to helping others across the galaxy.

The all-new UDON Kids Manga launches in April 2009 with the first volumes of THE BIG ADVENTURES OF MAJOKO and NINJA BASEBALL KYUMA. FAIRY IDOL KANON and SWANS IN SPACE will follow in May and June, respectively.

ABOUT UDON ENTERTAINMENT
(www.udonentertainment.com)
UDON Entertainment is a Canada-based publisher of original comic books, graphic novels, and art books. UDON’s best-known projects are those based on popular video game franchises such as Street Fighter(R), Darkstalkers(tm), Okami(tm), Onimusha(R) and Mega Man(R). The publisher’s ever-growing library also includes English editions of Japanese Manga and Korean Manhwa titles, as well as the critically acclaimed ROBOT anthology series. The studio also provides creative services to the entertainment industry producing toy designs, RPG artwork, packaging art and video game artwork. Its client list reads like a who’s who of the entertainment business with names like Alliance/Atlantis, Capcom, DC Comics, Gamepro, Harmony Gold, Hasbro, Konami, Marvel Comics, Microsoft, Nintendo, Random House, Score, TDK Interactive, ToyBiz, Warner, White Wolf, Wizards of the Coast and Wiz Kids amongst others.

Manga Minis, 12/15/08

Katherine Dacey — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 01:35:54 +0000

I’m fresh out of snappy intros, so I’ll cut to the chase: the centerpiece of this week’s column is Melinda’s thoughtful review of the latest Fruits Basket (Tokyopop). If you’re not a Furuba fan, you’ll also find reviews of Mao-Chan (Del Rey), a new sci-fi comedy from the creator of Negima!, and Hanky Panky (Aurora/Deux), a steamy one-shot about… well, hanky panky.

Fruits Basket, Vol. 21

By Natsuki Takaya
Tokyopop, 196 pp.
Rating: Teen (13+)

With only two volumes yet to go, the English language release of Fruits Basket is nearing its close, and as the story races forward, emotions run high all around. At the end of volume 20, Tohru attempted to confess her love to Kyo, but was cut off by Kyo’s stunning confession that he felt responsible for the death of her mother. She finally gets to voice her feelings in the opening chapter of this volume, but not before Kyo finishes his own painful story, ultimately leaving her in tears. Things continue to go horribly wrong, leading to an ugly confrontation between Akito and Tohru, and another later between Yuki and Kyo.

If you’re like me, you’ll need a box of tissues handy to make it through the first few chapters, in which even a raving, knife-wielding Akito manages to somehow evoke sympathy. The most touching scene, though, may be in the final chapter when after all the noisy drama of the rest of the volume, Yuki finds a cozy resting spot on his own personal journey with quiet student council secretary Machi.

Mangaka Natsuki Takaya’s practice of using only the most subtle visual cues (if any) to indicate who is speaking can be irritating, but in this case, forcing the reader to deliberate carefully over each fragment of text only encourages a deeper read, allowing for greater absorption of this volume’s intense emotional content. Each panel is rich with complex history and feeling between characters, presented in the deceptively simple manner that characterizes this series overall. As always, much of Takaya’s ability to make palatable the selfishness and cruelty her characters often display can be credited to the refreshingly genuine quality of her protagonist. Few of us can claim to see the world through eyes as open, joyful, and compassionate as Tohru Honda’s, but the great appeal of Fruits Basket is in that it manages to make us believe we can, at least for an hour or so.

Volume 21 of Fruits Basket is available now.

–Reviewed by Melinda Beasi

Hanky Panky

By Koreaki Kamuro
Deux Press, 176 pp.
Rating: Mature (18+)

Koreaki Kamuro’s Hanky Panky is a collection of short boys’ love stories, each with the sole purpose of putting good-looking characters in bed with each other. The scenarios created to get them there run from unmemorable to unbelievable. In the first story, for which the volume is named, nerdy college student Manaka runs a host club after hours, and finds himself in a predicament when one of his classmates, Doi, applies for a job as a host. In this case, the plot relies entirely on the reader’s ability to believe that Doi does not recognize Manaka at the club only because Manaka isn’t wearing his glasses. Sorry, but this really only works for Superman.

Other scenarios include a man who runs into the soccer coach he crushed on in his youth, and a romance at an employment agency (entitled, “One Sweet Position”). There are a few touching moments between characters here and there, but overall, things like plot and character development are shunted aside in the rush toward the stories’ true objective: sex.

Even the sex, however, is not particularly well-written or well-
drawn. The sex scenes are all short and very similar. The art, which
is serviceable at best throughout the volume, becomes downright vague during these scenes, and in some of the panels that depict only pieces of the characters’ anatomy, it can be difficult to tell for
sure what’s going on. On the upside, all the sex is consensual, and
the relationships portrayed are mostly healthy and often loving.

The character designs are generally as unremarkable as the stories themselves. All the men are pretty, but generic, and though the stories are completely unrelated to each other, the characters are drawn so much alike, at first it is difficult to tell.

Ultimately, though Hanky Panky fails both as fiction and as pornography, it is too bland to be offensive on either count.

Hanky Panky is available now.

–Reviewed by Melinda Beasi

Mao-Chan, Vol. 1

Story by Ken Akamatsu, Art by Ran
Del Rey, 396 pp.
Rating: Older Teen (16+)

What do you do when you’re confronted with an enemy so cute that the public opposes all attempts to subdue it? That’s the question bedeviling the Japanese military in the opening pages of Mao-Chan, when a super-kawaii race of aliens begin attacking prominent Tokyo landmarks. Military senior brass hit on a novel strategy for responding to the crisis, deputizing a trio of eight-year-old girls to run the army, navy, and air force. (In other words, fighting cute with cute.) Of course, grade schoolers aren’t the most reliable soldiers, as they get easily distracted by yummy snacks, furry animals, and petty rivalries, so the military appoints a slightly older, calmer person to supervise and direct them on the battlefield.

Sounds like a great set-up for a comedy, no? Alas, Ken Akamatsu can’t decide if he’s writing satire or moe fodder, often tacking between the two poles in the same scene. Akamatsu elicits some genuine laughs with his commentary on the Japanese obsession with all things kawaii; in one chapter, for example, enterprising merchandisers develop a line of plush toys based on the aliens. (And why not? The aliens resemble stuffed animals: cats, dolphins, hamsters…) At the same time, however, Mao-Chan abounds in images of adorable young girls wearing bathing suits, gym clothes, and uniforms with napkin-sized skirts, images that may strike some readers as totally innocent and others as kind of creepy. (I’m not sure I want to know where Mao-Chan was originally serialized…)

Maybe the super-cute aliens are clouding my judgment, but I’m not quite ready to give up on Mao-Chan. I think the series has the potential to be quite funny, especially if Akamatsu focuses more on the kids-vs-aliens combat and less on the moe-inducing moments.

Volume one of Mao-Chan is available now.

–Reviewed by Katherine Dacey

Manga Review Index, N – Z

Katherine Dacey — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 06:32:28 +0000

Below is a complete list of manga, manhua, manhwa, and OEL reviews that have appeared at PopCultureShock since we began covering manga in 2005. (Book, DVD, and movie reviews can be accessed by clicking here.) Manga whose titles begin with the letters A – M are listed here.

If you discover any broken links, please let us know by posting a comment. This list will be updated continually, so please bookmark it and check back often!

N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

N – O

Nabari No Ou, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
Nabari No Ou, Vol. 2 (Yen Press)
The Name of the Flower, Vol. 1 (CMX)
NANA, Vol. 7 (VIZ)
NANA, Vol. 8 (VIZ)
NANA, Vols. 9-11 (VIZ)
NANA, Vol. 14 (VIZ)
NANA, Vol. 15 (VIZ)
NANA, Vol. 19 (VIZ)
Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
Naoki Urasawa’s Monster, Vol. 9 (VIZ)
Naoki Urasawa’s Monster, Vol. 18 (VIZ)
Narration of Love at 17, Vol. 4 (NETCOMICS)
Naruto, Vol. 28 (VIZ)
Naruto, Vol. 30 (VIZ)
Naruto, Vol. 36 (VIZ)
Natsume’s Book of Friends, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
Natsume’s Book of Friends, Vol. 2 (VIZ)
Negima!, Vol. 21 (Del Rey)
Negima!, Vols. 23-24 (Del Rey)
Negima!? Neo, Vols. 1-2 (Del Rey)
Negima!? Neo, Vol. 3 (Del Rey)
Neko Ramen, Vol. 1 (TOKYOPOP)
Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Shinji Ikari Raising Project, Vol. 1 (Dark Horse)
Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Shinji Ikari Raising Project, Vol. 3 (Dark Horse)
Nephilim, Vol. 1 (Aurora/Deux)
Night Head Genesis, Vol. 1 (Del Rey)
Nightmare Inspector: Yumekui Kenbun, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
Nightmare Inspector: Yumekui Kenbun, Vol. 2 (VIZ)
Nightmare Inspector: Yumekui Kenbun, Vol. 6 (VIZ)
Nightmare Inspector: Yumekui Kenbun, Vol. 7 (VIZ)
Nightmare Inspector: Yumekui Kenbun, Vol. 9 (VIZ)
Nightmares for Sale, Vol. 1 (Aurora/Deux)
Nightschool: The Weirn Books, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
Nightschool: The Weirn Books, Vol. 2 (Yen Press)
Nightschool: The Weirn Books, Vol. 3 (Yen Press)
The 9 Lives, Vol. 1 (TOKYOPOP)
Ninja Baseball Kyuma, Vol. 1 (UDON Entertainment)
Ninja Girls, Vol. 2 (Del Rey)
9th Sleep (DMP)
Nodame Cantabile, Vol. 16 (Del Rey)
NOiSE (TOKYOPOP)
Nora: The Last Chronicle of Devildom, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
Nora: The Last Chronicle of Devildom, Vol. 5 (VIZ)
Nora: The Last Chronicle of Devildom, Vol. 6 (VIZ)
Nora: The Last Chronicle of Devildom, Vol. 8 (VIZ)
Nosatsu Junkie, Vols. 1-2 (TOKYOPOP)
not simple (VIZ)
Off*Beat, Vols. 1-2 (TOKYOPOP)
Oh! My Brother, Vol. 1 (CMX)
Oh! My Brother, Vol. 2 (CMX)
Oh My God!, Vol. 1 (Aurora/Deux)
Oh My Goddess! Colors (Dark Horse)
Oh My Goddess!, Vol. 12 (Dark Horse)
Oh My Goddess!, Vol. 33 (Dark Horse)
Ohikkoshi (Dark Horse)
Oishinbo a la Carte, Vols. 1-2 (VIZ)
Oishinbo a la Carte, Vols. 5-6 (VIZ)
Omukae Desu, Vol. 1 (CMX)
On Bended Knee (DMP)
100% Perfect Girl, Vol. 9 (NETCOMICS)
100% Perfect Girl, Vols. 10-11 (NETCOMICS)
One Piece, Vol. 21 (VIZ)
One Piece, Vols. 25-26 (VIZ)
One Piece, Vols. 27-28 (VIZ)
One Piece, Vols. 35-36 (VIZ)
One Piece, Vols. 37-38 (VIZ)
One Pound Gospel, Vols. 1-2 (VIZ)
One Thousand and One Nights, Vols. 1-6 (Yen Press)
One Thousand and One Nights, Vol. 7 (Yen Press)
Oninagi, Vol. 2 (Yen Press)
Only By Chance (Harlequin/SOFTBANK Creative)
Only One Wish (Del Rey)
Only the Ring Finger Knows (DMP)
Ooku: The Inner Chambers, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
Ooku: The Inner Chambers, Vol. 2 (VIZ)
O-Parts Hunter, Vol. 7 (VIZ)
O-Parts Hunter, Vols. 11-12 (VIZ)
O-Parts Hunter, Vol. 14 (VIZ)
O-Parts Hunter, Vol. 17 (VIZ)
O-Parts Hunter, Vol. 19 (VIZ)
Operation Liberate Men, Vol. 1 (NETCOMICS)
Orange (TOKYOPOP)
Orange Planet, Vol. 1 (Del Rey)
Orange Planet, Vol. 2 (Del Rey)
Orfina, Vol. 1 (CMX)
Orfina, Vol. 7 (CMX)
Otodama: Voice from the Dead, Vol. 1 (DMP)
Otomen, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
Otomen, Vol. 2 (VIZ)
Otomen, Vol. 5 (VIZ)
Our Kingdom: Arabian Nights (DMP)
Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 11 (VIZ)
Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 13 (VIZ)

P – Q – R

The Palette of 12 Secret Colors, Vol. 1 (CMX)
The Palette of 12 Secret Colors, Vol. 4 (CMX)
Pandora Hearts, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
Papillon, Vol. 1 (Del Rey)
Papillon, Vol. 2 (Del Rey)
Papillon, Vol. 3 (Del Rey)
Parasyte, Vols. 1-2 (Del Rey)
Parasyte, Vol. 5 (Del Rey)
Pastel, Vol. 13 (Del Rey)
Pastel, Vol. 14 (Del Rey)
A Patch of Dreams (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
Peach Girl: Sae’s Story, Vols. 1-3 (TOKYOPOP)
Pet Shop of Horrors: Tokyo, Vol. 1 (TOKYOPOP)
Phantom, Vols. 1-3 (TOKYOPOP)
Phantom Dream, Vol. 1 (TOKYOPOP)
Phantom Dream, Vol. 3 (TOKYOPOP)
Phantom Dream, Vol. 5 (TOKYOPOP)
Phoenix: Civil War, Vols. 7-8 (VIZ)
Phoenix, Vol. 12 (VIZ)
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Official Casebook, Vol. 1 (Del Rey)
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Official Casebook, Vol. 2 (Del Rey)
Physical Attraction (DMP)
Picnic (DMP)
Pieces of a Spiral, Vol. 1 (CMX)
Pig Bride, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
Pig Bride, Vol. 2 (Yen Press)
Pine Kiss, Vol. 5 (NETCOMICS)
Platina, Vol. 1 (CMP)
Please, Please Me, Vol. 1 (NETCOMICS)
Please, Please Me, Vol. 2 (NETCOMICS)
Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Vol. 2 (VIZ)
Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Vol. 4 (VIZ)
Pop Japan Travel: Essential Otaku Guide (DMP)
Portus (VIZ)
Presents, Vol. 1 (CMX)
Pretty Face, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
Pretty Maniacs, Vol. 1 (DrMaster)
Pretty Poison (Aurora/LuvLuv)
Princess Ai: The Prism of Midnight Dawn, Vol. 1 (TOKYOPOP)
Princess Ai: The Prism of Midnight Dawn, Vol. 2 (TOKYOPOP)
Princess Princess, Vols. 1-2 (DMP)
Princess Princess Plus (DMP)
Princess Resurrection, Vol. 1 (Del Rey)
Princess Resurrection, Vol. 6 (Del Rey)
Prisoner of the Tower (Harlequin/SOFTBANK Creative)
Project X: Seven Eleven (DMP)
Psycho Busters, Vol. 1 (Del Rey)
Psycho Busters, Vol. 5 (Del Rey)
Pumpkin Scissors, Vol. 1 (Del Rey)
Pumpkin Scissors, Vol. 3 (Del Rey)
Pumpkin Scissors, Vol. 5 (Del Rey)
Pure Heart, Vol. 1 (DMP)
Purgatory Kabuki, Vol. 1 (DrMaster)
Puri Puri, Vol. 1 (DrMaster)
Puri Puri, Vols. 2-4 (DrMaster)
Puri Puri, Vols. 5-6 (DrMaster)
The Push Man and Other Stories (Drawn and Quarterly)
Queen of Ragtonia, Vol. 1 (Aurora/Deux)
Raiders, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
Ral Grad, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
Ral Grad, Vol. 2 (VIZ)
Ral Grad, Vol. 4 (VIZ)
Rampage, Vol. 1 (CMX)
Rasetsu, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
Rasetsu, Vol. 2 (VIZ)
Rasetsu, Vol. 3 (VIZ)
Ratman, Vol. 1 (TOKYOPOP)
Reading Club, Vol. 1 (UDON Entertainment)
REAL, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
REAL, Vols. 2-3 (VIZ)
REAL, Vol. 4 (VIZ)
REAL, Vol. 7 (VIZ)
Reborn!, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
Reborn!, Vol. 7 (VIZ)
Reborn!, Vol. 9 (VIZ)
Reborn!, Vol. 12 (VIZ)
Reborn!, Vol. 13 (VIZ)
The Record of a Fallen Vampire, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
The Record of a Fallen Vampire, Vol. 3 (VIZ)
The Record of a Fallen Vampire, Vol. 5 (VIZ)
The Record of a Fallen Vampire, Vol. 6 (VIZ)
The Record of a Fallen Vampire, Vol. 9 (VIZ)
Red Angel, Vol. 1 (DMP)
Red Blinds the Foolish (Aurora/Deux)
Red Hot Chili Samurai, Vol. 1 (TOKYOPOP)
Red River, Vol. 21 (VIZ)
Red River, Vol. 26 (VIZ)
Red River, Vol. 28 (VIZ)
Red Snow (Drawn and Quarterly)
Red String, Vol. 2 (Dark Horse)
The Reformed (Del Rey)
Remember (TOKYOPOP)
RE:Play, Vols. 1-2 (TOKYOPOP)
RE:Play, Vol. 3 (TOKYOPOP)
Reptilia (IDW Publishing)
RG Veda, Vol. 3 (TOKYOPOP)
RIN-NE, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
RIN-NE, Vol. 2 (VIZ)
The Rising Stars of Manga, Vol. 7 (TOKYOPOP)
Ristorante Paradiso (VIZ)
R.O.D. (Read or Dream), Vols. 1-4 (VIZ; series review)
Rolling, Vol. 1 (TOKYOPOP)
Romantic Illusions (DMP)
Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 4 (VIZ)
Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 7 (VIZ)
Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 8 (VIZ)
Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 10 (VIZ)
Rose Hip Rose, Vol. 1 (TOKYOPOP)
A Royal Proposition (Harlequin/SOFTBANK Creative)
Ruff Love (Aurora/Deux)
Rumic Theater: One or Double (VIZ)
Run, Bong-gu, Run! (NBM/Comics Lit)
Rurouni Kenshin: VIZBIG Edition, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
Rurouni Kenshin: VIZBIG Edition, Vols. 2-3 (VIZ)

S – T

U – V – W

U Don’t Know Me (NETCOMICS)
Ultimate Venus, Vol. 1 (Go! Comi)
Ultimate Venus, Vols. 2-3 (Go! Comi)
Ultimate Venus, Vol. 4 (Go! Comi)
Undertown, Vol. 1 (TOKYOPOP)
Unsophisticated and Rude (DMP)
Utahime: The Songstress (DMP)
Uzumaki, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
Uzumaki, Vol. 3 (VIZ)
Vagabond, Vols. 1-6 (VIZ)
Vampire Hunter D, Vol. 1 (DMP)
Vampire Hunter D, Vol. 2 (DMP)
Vampire Hunter D, Vol. 3 (DMP)
Vampire Hunter D, Vol. 4 (DMP)
Vampire Knight, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
Vampire Knight, Vol. 2 (VIZ)
Vampire Knight, Vol. 4 (VIZ)
Vampire Knight, Vol. 8 (VIZ)
Vampire Knight, Vol. 9 (VIZ)
Van Von Hunter, Vol. 1 (TOKYOPOP)
Variante, Vols. 1-4 (CMX; series review)
Vassalord, Vol. 1 (TOKYOPOP)
V.B. Rose, Vol. 5 (TOKYOPOP)
V.B. Rose, Vol. 7 (TOKYOPOP)
Venus Capriccio, Vol. 1 (CMX)
Venus Capriccio, Vol. 3 (CMX)
Venus in Love, Vol. 1 (CMX)
Venus in Love, Vol. 5 (CMX)
Very! Very! Sweet, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
Very! Very! Sweet, Vol. 2 (Yen Press)
Very! Very! Sweet, Vol. 3 (Yen Press)
Very! Very! Sweet, Vol. 5 (Yen Press)
Vidia and the Fairy Crown (TOKYOPOP)
Vision of the Other Side, Vols. 1-2 (Drama Queen)
Voiceful (Seven Seas)
The Voices of a Distant Star (TOKYOPOP)
Voices of Love (Aurora/LuvLuv)
Walkin’ Butterfly, Vol. 1 (Aurora/Deux)
Walkin’ Butterfly, Vols. 2-3 (Aurora/Deux)
The Wallflower, Vols. 19-20 (Del Rey)
The Wallflower, Vol. 21 (Del Rey)
Wanted (VIZ)
Waqwaq, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
Waqwaq, Vol. 2 (VIZ)
The Way to Heaven (DMP)
We Were There, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
We Were There, Vol. 2 (VIZ)
We Were There, Vol. 4 (VIZ)
We Were There, Vol. 8 (VIZ)
We Were There, Vol. 10 (VIZ)
Welcome to Wakaba-soh, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
Welcome to Wakaba-soh, Vol. 2 (Yen Press)
What a Wonderful World!, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
Where Has Love Gone? (DMP)
White Night Melody, Vol. 1 (TOKYOPOP)
Wild Animals, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
Wild Ones, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
Wild Ones, Vol. 4 (VIZ)
Wild Ones, Vol. 6 (VIZ)
Wild Ones, Vol. 7 (VIZ)
Wild Ones, Vol. 9 (VIZ)
A Wise Man Sleeps, Vol. 1 (Go! Comi)
With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child, Vol. 2 (Yen Press)
With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child, Vol. 5 (Yen Press)
Wolverine: Prodigal Son, Vol. 1 (Del Rey)
Word of a Gentleman (Harlequin/SOFTBANK Creative)
The World I Create (CMX)
The World of Quest, Vol. 2 (Yen Press)
World of Warcraft: Death Knight (TOKYOPOP)
World of Warcraft: Mage (TOKYOPOP)

X – Y – Z

X Diary (NETCOMICS)
X-Men: Misfits, Vol. 1 (Del Rey)
XS Hybrid, Vol. 1 (Dark Horse)
xxxHOLiC, Vol. 10 (Del Rey)
xxxHOLiC, Vol. 12 (Del Rey)
xxxHOLiC, Vol. 14 (Del Rey)
Y Square (Yen Press)
The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls: Revenge of the Hori Clan, Vol. 1 (Del Rey)
The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls: Revenge of the Hori Clan, Vol. 6 (Del Rey)
The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls: Revenge of the Hori Clan, Vol. 7 (Del Rey)
Yakitate!! Japan, Vol. 4 (VIZ)
Yakitate!! Japan, Vol. 5 (VIZ)
Yakitate!! Japan, Vol. 16 (VIZ)
Yakitate!! Japan, Vol. 18 (VIZ)
Yakitate!! Japan, Vol. 21 (VIZ)
Yakitate!! Japan, Vol. 22 (VIZ)
Yellow 2, Episode 1 (DMP)
Yggdrasil, Vol. 2 (Go! Comi)
Yokai Doctor, Vol. 1 (Del Rey)
Yokai Doctor, Vol. 2 (Del Rey)
Yokai Doctor, Vol. 3 (Del Rey)
Yokan: Premonition, Vol. 1 (DMP)
Yoki Koto Kiku (Broccoli Books)
Yonen Buzz: Plastic Chew (TOKYOPOP)
Yotsuba&!, Vols. 1-6 (Yen Press)
Yotsuba&!, Vol. 7 (Yen Press)
You Will Drown in Love (BLU Manga)
You Will Fall in Love (BLU Manga)
The Young Magician, Vol. 1 (CMX)
Your & My Secret, Vol. 1 (TOKYOPOP)
Your & My Secret, Vol. 4 (TOKYOPOP)
You’re So Cool, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
You’re So Cool, Vol. 2 (Yen Press)
You’re So Cool, Vol. 3 (Yen Press)
You’re So Cool, Vol. 5 (Yen Press)
Yozakura Quartet, Vols. 1-2 (Del Rey)
Yubisaki Milk Tea, Vols. 1-2 (TOKYOPOP)
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Vol. 2 (VIZ)
Yu-Gi-Oh! R, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
Yu-Gi-Oh! R, Vol. 3 (VIZ)
Yukiko’s Spinach (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
Yume Kira Dream Shoppe (VIZ)
Yurara, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
Yurara, Vol. 3 (VIZ)
Yurara, Vol. 5 (VIZ)
ZE, Vols. 1-2 (DMP)
ZE, Vol. 4 (DMP)
Zombie Fairy, Vol. 1 (CMX)
Zombie-Loan, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
Zombie-Loan, Vol. 2 (Yen Press)
Zombie-Loan, Vol. 5 (Yen Press)
Zombie-Loan, Vol. 6 (Yen Press)

Our Favorite Manga of 2008

Katherine Dacey — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 06:13:23 +0000

Yes, our list includes such meat-and-potatoes categories as “Best New Series” and “Best Re-Release,” but at the urging of our Ninja Consultant, we also decided to include a few awards that you won’t find at Publisher’s Weekly: Best Manga You Thought You’d Hate. Best Guilty Pleasure. Biggest Disappointment. And while you may find some obvious choices on our list—you didn’t think we’d overlook Black Jack, did you?—you’ll also find some idiosyncratic choices as well.

ERIN’S LIST

Best New Series: Fujoshi Rumi (Natsumi Konjoh, Media Blasters)
Genuinely hilarious but a little hard to find in stores, I laughed continually while reading this and am desperately looking forward to volume three. It’s hard to make romantic misunderstandings funny nowadays, but the same old jokes seem fresh through Rumi’s yaoi fangirl eyes.

Best Continuing Series: Yakitate!! Japan (Takashi Hashiguchi, Viz)
We’re about halfway through the series now in the U.S., and it’s still hilarious, surprising, and always leaves me hungry for fresh bread. I love that this series is so easy to recommend to people. Maybe I’ve been over-recommending it because of my bias towards food manga…

Best Re-Release: Black Jack (Osamu Tezuka, Vertical, Inc.)
Back in the day, Viz put out two volumes of Black Jack—thank you, thank you Vertical for picking this up and vowing to finish the series! The iconic black-and-white haired doctor is so appealing that I’ve become and instant fan and started buying the hardcovers.

Best One-Shot/Anthology: Disappearance Diary (Hideo Azuma, Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
This is the cutest most depressing award-winning manga I’ve ever read. I want to know more about Azuma’s wife and the history of Comiket! Apparently Azuma still goes to Comiket, and Ed Chavez has met him. But how much longer will Azuma’s liver hold out?

Best Yaoi: I Shall Never Return (Kazuna Uchida, Aurora/Deux)
I’m not following many—or really any—ongoing yaoi series besides this and a Taste of Tea. There is a lot of ridiculous heavy drama on every page that walks the edge between believable teenage emotion and bizarre schemes of the outlandishly rich. I guess it’s kind of like Strangers in Paradise in that way, except all the characters are definitely gay.

Best OEL/World Manga: Yokaiden (Nina Matsumoto, Del Rey)
I can’t stop talking about how hilarious this is. Canadian artist Nina Matsumoto was previously famous on the internet for “The Simpsonzu,” an anime-style drawing of all of The Simpsons characters, but she is also a web comic artist. She’s quite young (24), and I’m looking forward to seeing her style develop. Also I love yokai, and her book is really informative.

Best Manga You Thought You Would Hate: Hayate X Blade (Shizura Hayashiya, Seven Seas)
I totally thought I would hate this based on the back cover, but the book pulled a complete 360 on me and I loved it. The yuri aspect is not center stage; it’s just a fact of life in this sports comedy/parody series. It’s not easily recommendable to everyone, but it is the most easily recommendable yuri series for girls. (It’s not yuri for boys like The Last Uniform.)

Best Guilty Pleasure: B.O.D.Y. (Ao Mimori, Viz)
B.O.D.Y. is full of insane clichés, weak characterizations, and the maximum number of bubble-printed backgrounds allowable in any one volume. The nonsensical English title means nothing, and the author’s notes are more amusing than the text… but for some unknown reason, I still want to find out what happens next.

Biggest Disappointment: Wild Ones (Kiyo Fujiwara, Viz)
I read volumes one and two for a review that I scrapped because I was too disheartened to do it. There’s way too much love story and not enough yakuza. Fujiwara draws her protagonists with perfectly round fish-like eyes that fail to convey any emotion. The panel layout is hard to follow at times, and volume two was a paint-by-numbers summer story, complete with a watermelon.

Worst Manga: Three in Love (Shioko Mizuki, Go! Comi)
When will I learn to stop buying manga based on the title alone? This looks as if it was drawn in ballpoint pen (at times). The manga-ka admits that Three in Love was one of earlier works and it’s kind of embarrassing. Included in the back is a slightly-better-drawn fantasy chapter, but I swear I’ve seen better in the Artist’s Alley at any given convention. When Hayashi draws his misshapen heads in Red Colored Elegy, it’s a stylistic choice. When Mizuki does, it’s just an anatomical mistake.

KATE’S LIST

Best New Series: Real (Takehiko Inoue, Viz)
In lesser hands, Real might have been an After School Special in manga form, an earnest, uplifting story about disabled teens who find a new sense of purpose on the basketball court. Takehiko Inoue, however, steers clear of easy sentiment; his characters are tough, competitive, and profane, occasionally self-pitying, and fiercely determined to create a space for themselves that’s theirs—and theirs alone. Though the court scenes are brief (at least by shonen sports manga standards, where matches can take several volumes to unfold), Inoue captures the speed and energy of his athletes with consummate skill. A funny, honest, and sometimes rueful series that works equally well for teens and adults.

Best Continuing Series: Goong: The Royal Palace (Park SoHee, Yen Press)
Read a volume of Goong, and you’ll quickly see why it became a successful television show. It’s got a tough, principled heroine; two dreamy male leads; a cold-as-ice queen mother (paging Joan Collins!); several romantic triangles (Venn diagrams, really); and enough commoner-vs-royal tension to make Diana Spence and Queen Elizabeth’s relationship look cordial. Goong’s gorgeous artwork is the perfect complement to its sudsy plotlines, featuring some of the prettiest faces and coolest outfits I’ve seen in any shojo manga.

Best Re-Release: Black Jack (Osamu Tezuka, Vertical, Inc.)
On paper, Black Jack sounds a lot like House, the story of an eccentric doctor who finds a cure when no one else can, changing lives and showing up his rivals in the process. But compare the two docs’ resumes, and it quickly becomes clear that Jack does more than just diagnose rare tropical diseases: he performs brain transplants. He operates on psychic tumors. Heck, he even sews up a killer whale. None of these stories would fly if the title character were saintly, handsome, or even vaguely noble-minded; the whole conceit would be too preposterous for words. But Tezuka’s hero is prickly and materialistic, an anti-establishment figure who bends the rules, flouts authority, and sometimes saves the day. A must for every manga lover’s library!

Best One-Shot/Anthology: Shirley (Kaoru Mori, CMX)
I have a confession: I actually liked Shirley better than Emma. Don’t get me wrong. I adored Emma for its beautiful illustrations, Upstairs, Downstairs plotlines, and appealing cast. But Mori offers something more refined in Shirley, building poignant stories around small moments instead of dramatic confrontations. Her artwork is a little cleaner and simpler as well, allowing the reader to focus more on the actors and less on the elaborate furnishings. And Shirley’s characters are more vivid and interesting than the quiet, noble Emma, who sometimes seemed like a shoo-in for the Mary Sue Hall of Fame.

Best Manga You Thought You Would Hate: Oh My God (Natsuo Shino, Aurora/Deux)
Flipping through Oh My God, I felt my heart sink. The art was bad. The gods sported mullets. And the characters were standard-issue: a hot-headed demon, a prissy perfectionist, a teen who can see spirits. Imagine my surprise when Oh My God turned out to be funny. Really funny, in fact. Much of the humor is of a have-cake-and-eat-it-too variety, gently poking fun at BL conventions while offering tantalizing glimpses of bare chests and legs. Though the characters blush and occasionally fall into each others’ arms, the book is a strictly PG affair, proving that BL doesn’t need to be explicit to be effective.

Best Guilty Pleasure: One Thousand and One Nights (Han SeungHee and Jeon JinSeok, Yen Press)
It’s Sheherazhade in manhwa form, only Sheherazhade is an impossibly beautiful young man who’s bewitched the sultan with his good looks and storytelling chops. (In other words: The Arabian Knights, BL Edition.) If something this gloriously overwrought doesn’t scream “guilty pleasure,” I don’t know what does.

Biggest Disappointment: Bat-Manga: The Secret History of Batman in Japan (Chip Kidd, Pantheon Books)
This handsomely produced coffee table book looks like a million bucks, with its glossy pages, lovingly photographed Bat-paraphernalia, and kitschy-cool cover. If only the actual manga lived up to the hype! Unfortunately, most of the stories are pedestrian and hokey, lacking the campy humor of the Adam West TV show or the visual imagination of the best superhero comics. Strictly for hardcore Bat-fans and toy collectors.

Worst Manga: The Gorgeous Life of Strawberry-Chan (Ai Morinaga, Media Blasters)
I didn’t think it was possible to dislike anything by Ai Morinaga, but this sadistic boarding-school comedy proved me wrong. There’s no real story here; most of the “action” revolves around Akiyoshi, a fatuous pretty boy, and Strawberry-Chan, his talking frog. Akiyoshi delights in torturing his pet, squashing Strawberry-Chan, burying him alive, and even inflating him like a balloon via a well-placed straw. (If Morinaga is trying to make a greater point with her hero’s perverse antics, I can’t imagine what it is.) Adding insult to injury is the art, which is a riot of misapplied screentones, clashing patterns, and extreme facial close-ups—it’s the best representation of a migraine I’ve ever seen committed to paper, but some of the worst sequential art I’ve seen this year.

KEN’S LIST

Best New Series: Dororo (Osamu Tezuka, Vertical Press)
Yes, it’s a bit odd to nominate something that’s 40 years old for “Best New Series,” but Dororo would be a standout in any year. It’s a really fun, fast-paced tale of a boy hunting down the demons that possess 48 of his body parts. He’s part man, part machine, and all feudal swordsman! Tezuka’s cartoonish art might turn off some folks, and it’s certainly disconcerting to see him depict the horrors of war with this style, but overall I thought Dororo was a strong and enjoyable series.

Best Continuing Series: Blade of the Immortal (Hiroaki Samura, Dark Horse)
I didn’t pick up any of the new volumes that came out this year, so how could I possibly consider this the “Best Continuing Series of 2008”? Here’s how: the two volumes that came out this year reprinted material from the now-discontinued single issues. (The new TPB/collection-only material won’t be released until January.) The story finally shifts its focus from Manji to Rin as she begins in earnest to plot a breakout. She gathers allies and information and, thanks to a run-in with the police, finds herself working alongside her sworn enemies. Several characters reappear after a short absence, and we’re introduced to one of the oddest characters this series has seen so far… and if you’ve read BOTI, then you know that’s saying something. I can honestly say that BOTI is one of my favorite manga to date, if not my all-time favorite piece of sequential art.

Best Manga You Thought You Would Hate: Black Cat (Kentaro Yabuki, Viz)
When I was asked to review Black Cat, I was really expecting to dislike it. Maybe not quite hate, but I was sure that it wouldn’t hold my interest at all. The adventures of a pretty boy bounty hunter who uses a gun in a non-lethal manner just didn’t seem like a premise I could get behind. And, honestly, it’s a fairly straightforward shonen series. The idealistic hero with a dark past, his posse of friends (all teens with super powers and skills that put them on par with any adult they come across), and formulaic plots all combine to make Black Cat a series that I would never have considered picking up on my own. Yet, oddly enough, after having reviewed three volumes, I’m finding myself quite keen on it. So much so that I’m actually considering following the series as it runs headlong to its conclusion. Hell, I’m even tempted to try and pick up the earlier volumes in the series as well.

MICHELLE’S LIST

Best New Series: High School Debut (Kazune Kawahara, Viz)
Just managing to squeak into this category by virtue of its first volume debuting on January 1, 2008, is my personal pick for best new series, High School Debut. Okay, true, it’s not the most erudite of new series, but it’s the one that I love the most. Yoh and Haruna, the lead characters, are both very likable, and it’s easy to see why they may be drawn to each other romantically. Also, it’s unique that we get so much from Yoh’s perspective; one of my favorite parts of the series is how he regularly discusses his romantic tribulations with his friends and they take a genuine interest in the status of his relationship. If you’re tired of shojo where the klutzy girl manages to snag the beautiful boy though she possesses no redeeming qualities whatsoever, then High School Debut may be just the thing for you.

Best Continuing Series: NANA (Ai Yazawa, Viz)
I recently read an interview with a manga industry pundit who was speculating on what would appeal to female readers once they “graduate from shojo.” Graduate from shojo?! Clearly, this fellow has not been reading NANA, my choice for best continuing series of 2008! This series is dramatic, moving, realistic, and painful in a way that few series can be, thanks to its extraordinarily well-developed cast of characters. One truly cares about Nana, Hachi, and their friends; like a Joss Whedon show, I love them so much I can’t help but want things to work out sunnily, even though I should know better by now.

Best One-Shot/Anthology and Best Yaoi: Seduce Me After the Show (est em, Aurora/Deux)
With its melancholy vibe, original adult characters, and thoughtful and memorable stories, yaoi one-shot Seduce Me After the Show is so good it manages to win two categories at once. The title story, a two-parter featuring an actor and dancer who enjoy a brief fling while collaborating on a project, is a particular standout. I always appreciate it when characters have something other than romance on their minds, and that certainly applies here. The men in these stories have goals—both artistic and otherwise—and baggage that influence their relationships in interesting and complicated ways, allowing the collection to resonate even with those who aren’t the habitual boys’ love audience.

Best Manhwa: Very! Very! Sweet (JiSang Shin and Geo, Yen Press)
The best manhwa I read in 2008 was DVD (DramaQueen), but that didn’t come out in 2008, alas. The folks at DramaQueen have mentioned plans to restart their manhwa line, so hopefully I’ll really be able to name this one next year. Until then, this distinction goes to Very! Very! Sweet, an enjoyable offering from Yen Press. It’s the story of a Japanese boy sent to Korea to discover his roots and the rather strange girl who ends up his neighbor. It has its flaws, like relying on violence as humor a bit too much, but yields surprises every so often with the subject matter it covers.

Best Manga You Thought You Would Hate: Silver Diamond (Shiho Sugiura, Tokyopop)
“Hate” is such a strong word, but I had serious trepidations about reading Silver Diamond, since the idea of shonen-ai fantasy conjured up images of billowing capes, risqué situations, and a plot that took a backseat to romantic angst. I was delighted to discover instead an intriguing story populated with endearing characters. To top it off, it’s really funny! I’d never before considered the comedic potential of a talking snake until reading this series. I’ve now done a complete 180—far from being dubious, I read the second volume as soon as I could extract it from its Amazon packaging, and am eagerly waiting the next installment (due in January 2009).

Best Guilty Pleasure: Ruff Love (Tamaki Kirishima, Aurora/Deux)
I sort of can’t believe I liked Ruff Love as much as I did. I fervently maintain that yaoi featuring critter boys is not my bag, baby, but the charm of this amusing one-shot won me over. It’s the story of Taketora, a struggling writer, and the reincarnation of Shiba, his late grandfather’s dog, who returns to life as a human to repay his former owner’s kindness. Some creepy scenes do ensue, but the focus is more on the changes Shiba brings to Taketora’s life and career than on lusty shenanigans. In general, I’ve been impressed with Deux’s titles and this is no exception.

Biggest Disappointment: S.S. Astro (Negi Banno, Yen Press)
The prospect of a four-panel manga about a group of teachers sounded like it could be fun. Unfortunately, instead of finding the humor in occupational matters, S. S. Astro offers fanservice, unfunny juvenile behavior, and cardboard cut-out characters (the sleepy one, the hungry one, the lesbian) doing practically anything but their jobs. The art is also rather strange, with a gallery of nice-looking color images in the front of the book, followed by interior art that makes at least one character look about twelve. A good translation with informative notes can’t save this title from itself, however valiant the effort.

SAM’S LIST

Best New Series: Fairy Tail (Hiro Mashima, Del Rey) and Gun Blaze West (Nobuhiro Watsuki, Viz)
Though Fairy Tail and Gun Blaze West are done by artists known for more popular series, both stand on their own as good, solid titles with great artwork. Fairy Tail especially surprised me, as Hiro Mashima takes his style to new levels, while Nobuhiro Watsuki’s art felt much cleaner and tightened up than his work on Rurouni Kenshin. It’s also nice to see fresh material from artists whose other series that may have strayed off course (*cough* RaveMaster *cough*). Two honorable mentions for Best New Series are Osamu Tezuka’s Dororo (Vertical, Inc.) and Kazuo Umezu’s Cat-Eyed Boy (Viz). Both were exceptionally wonderful series, consisting of short and powerful vignettes.

Best Continuing Series: Eyeshield 21 (Riichiro Inagaki and Yusuke Murata, Viz)
Eyeshield 21, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure (Viz), and Law of Ueki (Viz) are among my favorite series, and they didn’t disappoint me in 2008. Though Jojo and Ueki both made classy showings, giving us more great art and great stories, Eyeshield 21 was the real winner in my heart, focusing on my favorite Deimon Devil Bats and their journey to the Christmas Bowl. Honorable mentions in the Best Continuing Series category: Parasyte (Del Rey), Strawberry 100%, Project Arms, Hunter X Hunter, Yakitate!! Japan, Zatch Bell, Reborn!, Monster, The Drifting Classroom and Kekkaishi (Viz), just to name a few.

Best Re-Release: Black Jack (Osamu Tezuka, Vertical, Inc.) and One-Pound Gospel (Rumiko Takahashi, Viz)
Hands down, this year’s best re-releases were Black Jack and One-Pound GospelOne-Pound ended recently (and what an ending: eeeew), but Black Jack still has quite a ways to go (yay!). Another great re-release that ended in early 2008 is Junji Ito’s Uzumaki (Viz). I can honestly say it’s the only manga that’s ever made me feel sick to my stomach… and that’s saying a lot. Despite the queasy feelings it produces, Uzumaki is the pinnacle of Japanese horror.

Best Guilty Pleasure: Ral Grad (Tsuneo Takano and Takeshi Obata, Viz) and Yu-Gi-Oh GX (Naoyuki Kageyama, Viz)
If anyone hasn’t guessed that I’m a big shonen nerd, then let it be known I’m a big shonen nerd. Something about speed lines and dramatic posing never left me from childhood to adulthood. So sad to say, I have several guilty pleasures, all of them found the Shonen Jump category. I adore Ral Grad, beautiful art style and all. From its beginnings to its current GX incarnation, Yu-Gi-Oh has always provided great entertainment. And I’m still enjoying Shaman King. I don’t know why, but the wholesome artwork and slightly confusing but incredibly mystical story is enthralling to me.

Biggest Disappointment: Rosario + Vampire (Akihisa Ikeda, Viz)
I was particularly disappointed with two manga I reviewed: The Mysterians (Tokyopop), a horror series, and Suzunari (Yen Press), a 4-koma book that wasn’t funny. But one series—Rosario + Vampire—cut me pretty deep. You’d think a story about a kid who goes to a school for monsters would have some quality writing to back up its art, but no. By book two, I realized that the series isn’t really gonna go anywhere and decided it’s just not worth the money.

Worst Manga: Burst Angel (Minoru Murao, Tokyopop) and Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (Goro Taniguchi and Ichiro Okouchi, Bandai)
Burst Angel and Code Geass took the cake for Worst Manga I reviewed this year. Both prove that anime-to-manga adaptations never, ever work well. I’d also like to single out Shonen Jump magazine, which broke my heart earlier this year. Thank you for successfully taking up half your magazine with Naruto. I understand that its one of the most popular and successful series in the US, and that you’re following the market trend and trying to make money. But please, you have tons of great material at your fingertips that is being overshadowed by Naruto. Why not use Shonen Jump to bring these titles to a bigger audience?

BEST MANGA OF 2008: THE SHORT LIST

Best New Series:

Dororo (Vertical, Inc.)
Fairy Tail (Del Rey)
Fujoshi Rumi (Media Blasters)
Gun Blaze West (Viz)
High School Debut (Viz)
Real (Viz)

Best Continuing Series:

Blade of the Immortal (Dark Horse)
Eyeshield 21 (Viz)
Goong: The Royal Palace (Yen Press)
NANA (Viz)
Yakitate!! Japan (Viz)

Best Re-Release:

Black Jack (Vertical, Inc.)
One Pound Gospel (Viz)

Best One-Shot/Anthology:

Disapperance Diary (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
Seduce Me After the Show (Aurora/Deux)
Shirley (CMX)

Best Yaoi:

I Shall Never Return (Aurora/Deux)
Seduce Me After the Show (Aurora/Deux)

Best OEL/World Manga:

Yokaiden (Del Rey)

Best Manhwa:

Very! Very! Sweet (Yen Press)

Best Manga You Thought You’d Hate:

Black Cat (Viz)
Hayate X Blade (Seven Seas)
Oh My God (Aurora/Deux)
Silver Diamond (Tokyopop)

Best Guilty Pleasure:

B.O.D.Y. (Viz)
One Thousand and One Nights (Yen Press)
Ral Grad (Viz)
Ruff Love (Aurora/Deux)
Yu-Gi-Oh GX (Viz)

Biggest Disappointment:

Bat-Manga: The Secret History of Batman in Japan (Pantheon Books)
Rosario + Vampire (Viz)
S.S. Astro (Yen Press)
Wild Ones (Viz)

Worst Manga

Burst Angel (Tokyopop)
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (Bandai)
The Gorgeous Life of Strawberry-chan (Media Blasters)
Three in Love (Go! Comi)

The Otaku Bookshelf: Promenade of the Gods and The Tarot Cafe

Katherine Dacey — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 21:03:47 +0000

This month’s column looks at two very different novels: Promenade of the Gods (Vertical, Inc.), a thriller from legendary horror writer Koji “Ringu” Suzuki, and The Tarot Cafe: The Wild Hunt (Tokyopop), a prose adaptation of the popular manhwa series.

Promenade of the Gods

By Koji Suzuki, Translated by Takami Nieda
Vertical, 319 pp.

From Koji Suzuku, author of the Ring series and Dark Water, comes Promenade of the Gods. Billed as a parallel tale to the original Ring, Promenade focuses on a minor character and event that are only mentioned offhand in the original novel. Suzuku spins out a new story that’s completely unrelated to the events of the Ring saga and yet is set in the same world. The result is this stand-alone novel that can be picked up and enjoyed on its own.

Shirow is a fairly successful businessman who runs his own cram school; financially independent and with a strong staff capable of running the company without him, he floats from day to day with little worries. Then one morning a he gets a phone call from Miyuki, the wife of his long time friend Matsuoka. Months ago, Matsuoka vanished and Miyuki seeks Shirow’s help in finding him. As the two search for Matsuoka, they begin to uncover evidence that indicates that his disappearance is just the tip of a much larger and potentially dangerous iceberg.

Let’s cut right to the chase: despite the fact that Promenade is shelved in the horror section next to the Ring and such, it is most assuredly not a horror novel. If anything, it belongs in the mystery section, as the plot ostensibly focuses on disappearances and kidnappings. In fact, it’s barely even a mystery novel–at heart, Promenade is a well-done character study about two people in their thirties feeling the sense of longing, regret and loss that come with a mid-life crisis. Large chunks of this book delve into Shirow and Miyuki’s personal lives, desires and fears, with the mystery almost feeling tacked on at times. And while it is set in the Ring world, there’s no sign of the infamous video tape, Sadako, or any of the supernatural horror elements that are present in that series. If there’s any horror in the book, it’s of a more existential nature, the horror of realizing how your dreams have faded and died away, only to be replaced by the banality of daily life, that the person you had hoped to be is far from the reality you’re now facing.

It’s definitely the most mature Suzuki novel I’ve come across so far; in fact if it wasn’t for his name being smack dab on the cover I’d think it was from a compeltely different author. The focus, the ideas within it, are just so radically different from anything that I’ve read from him before with the possible exception of “Lemon Heart.” It really feels like a different author’s work, not to mention the work of someone who is also facing these same challenges and contemplating a way out.

I get the feeling that Promenade’s reception might be a bit bumpy at first. That’s not because it’s a bad novel–far from it. It’s just a bit of a bait-and-switch novel. Suzuki’s name, which is synomous with Japanese horror in the US, means that Promenade is being racked in the horror section of most bookstores will almost definitely lead people to expect something closer in tone to his previous works. I have to admit that I was thrown for a bit of a loop when I got into the book, but in the end I did find it a rewarding and enjoyable tale.

Promenade of the Gods is available now.

–Reviewed by Ken Haley

The Tarot Cafe: The Wild Hunt, Vol. 1

Art by Sang-Sun Park, Story by Chandra Rooney
Tokyopop, 208 pp.

The Tarot Café was among the first—and most popular—manhwa series Tokyopop licensed, making its American debut in 2005. In 2007, Tokyopop hired writer Chandra Rooney to adapt the concept into a series of light novels, the first of which debuts in January. I’m pleased to report that her adaptation is entertaining and true to the spirit of Sang-Sun Park’s manhwa, yet accessible to readers unfamiliar with the original series.

Volume one focuses on Bryn, an up-and-coming actress who appears to lead a charmed life: she has a handsome, talented fiancé; a plum part in a new TV show; and a loving family that supports her career. Bryn has a terrible secret, however: her fiancé, Jack, has disappeared without a trace. Her only clue to his whereabouts is a recurring dream in which she sees a mysterious, powerful demon pursuing Jack through a dark forest. Desperate to reunite with him, Bryn turns to Pamela, a fortuneteller, for a tarot reading—a reading that proves fateful for both women.

Though the basic set-up and characters are nearly identical to the manhwa, Rooney composed an original scenario for her novel. She skillfully incorporates information about Pamela and her employees into the text, drawing on the series’ full run for juicy tidbits from their pasts. More importantly, she uses this information to good dramatic effect, drawing parallels between Bryn’s current plight and Pamela’s back story to show us how Pamela became the all-powerful seer we meet in the manhwa.

My chief criticism of the book is the prose: it’s a little purple. No one wears red lipstick or answers the phone; they apply crimson paint to their lips and raise the cellular flip phone delicately to one ear. Given the target audience for the book, I doubt readers will mind such overly deliberate writing; one might even argue that it captures the manhwa’s fervid, Romantic tone more effectively than the matter-of-fact prose found in most light novels. More discerning prose stylists, however, may find the book’s tone too reminiscent of their high school literary magazine to be a truly satisfying read.

I also found some of the book’s gender dynamics a little unsettling. Bryn is a very damaged character who blames her “selfish” desire to have a career for Jack’s estrangement and subsequent disappearance. Though Pamela tries to convince her otherwise, Bryn is willing to sacrifice her career and family to be with Jack, despite his deranged and destructive behavior. A fifteen-year-old may see Bryn’s stance as tragic or romantic—anything for true love!—but a grown-up is more likely to see it as unhealthy, self-abnegating behavior best addressed on the therapist’s couch, not at the Tarot Café.

That said, I still think The Tarot Café is one of the best “novelizations” of a manga to be published in the US. Rooney pulls off the difficult trick of writing for fans and newcomers alike, demonstrating her knowledge of the original story while expanding its universe to include new characters. Her work functions both as an effective companion to the manhwa and a stand-alone YA novel, and should be a hit with teens who love supernatural soap operas.

N.B. This review is based on an uncorrected proof from the publisher. Though the cover promises illustrations by Sang-Sun Park, the version I read didn’t feature much artwork, just some decorative elements at the beginning of each chapter and the bottom of every page. Nonetheless, the book’s basic presentation is attractive. I do not know if the final version will include additional images by Park.

Volume one of The Tarot Cafe: The Wild Hunt will be available on January 13, 2009.

–Reviewed by Katherine Dacey

Anime News Network Releases First Streaming Anime Title, “Kite Liberator”

Katherine Dacey — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:26:21 +0000

MONTREAL, CANADA – December 10, 2008 – Anime News Network, the world’s largest anime web publication, has today released its first full anime video program for legal online streaming: the hit science fiction anime Kite Liberator. The show is the first full-length anime to be distributed by Anime News Network’s new Video Player portal, which was unveiled over the summer.

Created by anime powerhouse Yasuomi Umetsu, Kite Liberator follows the life of teenager assassin Monaka, who’s a clumsy and shy girl by day and a mysterious, stealth-like killer by night. When her father, an astronaut on the International Space Station is the victim of a bizarre form of radiation poisoning, he becomes a hideous monster with lethal destructive powers. Filled with edge-of-your-seat action and tongue-in-cheek parody of established anime tropes, Kite Liberator was released on DVD in Japan and North America in March of 2008.

Kite Liberator will be available for free, with limited commercial interruption starting December 9, 2008 in both English dubbed and Japanese-with-subtitles formats.

“We’re extremely excited to launch our new licensed anime content with Kite Liberator,” said Anime News Network Editor-In-Chief Chris Macdonald. “As one of the top anime titles of 2008, Kite Liberator is a show that our viewers will be excited to check out. There will be many other shows to come.”

The Anime News Network video player offers its users free, high-quality streaming video. Subscribers to Anime News Network’s premium subscription platform get access to even higher quality video, approaching that of DVD. Licensors benefit from Anime News Network’s state-of-the-art content protection technology. The platform debuted with Anime News Network’s self-produced news magazine show “Anime News Network TV” in July 2008, along with the biggest authorized collection of anime trailers on the Internet, now numbering over 400.

Kite Liberator is the first of three anime titles Anime News Network has licensed for online distribution from DVD distributor and producer Media Blasters. The other two include the twelve-part TV series Girls High and Ramen Fighter Miki. Both of those series will be made available in weekly installments beginning on December 15th. Both shows will be in Japanese with English subtitles.

About Anime News Network, Inc.
Founded in 1998, Anime News Network is the leading English source of up to date news on the anime and manga industries. From the in-depth coverage, analysis and commentary to the unparalleled resources of the online anime Encyclopedia, AnimeNewsNetwork.com is the most popular anime information website in the world, in any language. Anime News Network also owns and operates the print publication Protoculture Addicts, the oldest English anime magazine still in publication. More information is available at www.animenewsnetwork.com/faq.