Today it’s part two of my look at the manga samplers handed out at this year’s San Diego Comic Con. Last week I went through some of Viz Media’s offerings and today I take a look at another of their sampler books, plus a really pleasantly plump CMX sampler and a look at some recent Del Rey books properties. One thing’s for sure, my to-buy list keeps getting progressively longer with each one.
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Manga-ka: Shin Mashiba
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: August 2009
Synopsis: “Dreams on the menu in this volume: a different perspective on Chitose’s past, Azusa’s return as a Baku, a dream so horrible it corrupts all other dreams, and the final dream where only one Baku can survive the truth.”
Nightmare Inspector, volume nine, brings to close Shin Mashiba’s gothic-horror series. Eight volumes of episodic tales of nightmare exploration and fantastical escapes are concluded here as the story takes its largest step forward into the limelight of its own recurrent plot elements and sees the characters through to their dark, and albeit a tad unsatisfying, resolutions.
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Manga-ka: Kaoru Mori
Publisher: CMX
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: December 2006
Synopsis: “William Jones regards Emma as a beautiful, charming young woman, not merely a servant. After their first real date, things seem to be going in a positive direction for them. But the leisurely pace of the growing relationship between Emma and William ends when tragedy strikes at home, forcing Emma to leave the house she shared with Mrs. Stownar. Meanwhile, when the rest of William’s brothers and sisters show up, they discover their brother’s budding relationship and try to bring it to a screeching halt.”
In this second volume the dynamics of Emma’s world are shifted when she loses the woman who helped her begin the life she’s come to be so content with. Now left tending to the affairs of her estate, and preparing herself for her seemingly empty future, Emma struggles with her own profound loneliness. Despite the fact that I still find myself unable to connect much with Emma because of her overtly docile personality, it’s impossible not to feel sympathy for her during such an emotionally trying time, even if the impact is quickly lost after the fact.
Del Rey Manga Announces Acquisition of Code: Breaker, Panic X Panic, Pink Innocent
SAN DIEGO, CA – July 25, 2009 – Del Rey Manga, an imprint of Ballantine Books at the Random House Publishing Group, announced today at Comic-Con International two brand new shôjo manga acquisitions, and a brand new series from the creator of Samurai Deeper Kyo.
VIZ MEDIA PRESENTS
THE HISTORICAL AND ROYAL INTRIGUE OF
ŌOKU: THE INNER CHAMBERS MANGA SERIES
Award-Winning Historical Science Fiction Drama Set In An Alternate Version Of Edo Japan Where Gender Roles Are Reversed
San Francisco, CA, August 6, 2009 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the release of ŌOKU: THE INNER CHAMBERS, Fumi Yoshinaga’s historical manga epic set in an alternate version of Edo-era Japan. ŌOKU which will be released under the company’s VIZ Signature imprint on August 8th, is rated ‘M’ for Mature Audiences and will carry an MSRP of $12.95 U.S. / $15.00 CAN.
In Edo period Japan (1603 to 1868), a strange new disease called the Redface Pox has begun to prey on the country’s men. Within eighty years of the first outbreak, the male population has fallen to a quarter of the total female population. Women have taken on all the roles traditionally granted to men, even that of the Shogun. The men, precious providers of life, are carefully protected and the most beautiful of the men are sent to serve in the Shogun’s Inner Chambers.
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Manga-ka: Matsuri Akino
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: July 2009
Synopsis: “The mysterious underworld takes on a whole new dimension in this volume of Pet Shop of Horrors! When all the pastries in Shinjuku disappear, it’s just the beginning of a mystery involving a couple desperate for a child and a chef desperate to create the perfect dessert. Then there’s the case of the lovely lady who saves Taizuu from an assassin’s bullet, only to reveal her own deadly ulterior motives. And when a young runaway finds the perfect home, questions arise as to whether it’s a non-traditional school for girls – or a sinister cult.”
This fifth volume offers up some of the funniest moments of the series’ history and I had more than a few good laughs, albeit at the character’s expense. Taizuu steps up on his attempts to flesh out the truth behind Count D and his mysterious pet shop, going so far as to buying every sweet and cake in the entire city district! It’s one thing after another as Taizuu continues to fill the role of the absent Leon, except for a key-difference: Taizuu comes with a plethora of resources at his disposal.
Early this afternoon (or early this evening as in my case), Tokyopop held its first webinar: a live webcam-based session where Tokyopop staff took the time to share some information about upcoming titles and answer a whole lot of questions from the attendees.
Thanks to a quick transit home, I was able to attend this first-of-two sessions and you can read about what was said under the post cut.
As for my impressions of the Webinar as a whole: fantastic idea. It allows the opportunity for a convention-type industry panel but that people around the world can join in on from the comfort of their own homes. It’s a great way to communicate with fans and I give Tokyopop major kudos for putting it into place. Most impressively was the number of questions they were able to answer thanks to the in-order, streamlined method of submission. Very organized and a great opportunity to hit a lot of proverbial birds with one stone (I had all my questions answered so that was snazzy). I certainly hope I can attend the next one as well.
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Manga-ka: Naoki Urusawa
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: August 2009
Synopsis: “Kenji wrote “The Book of Prophecy” in his boyhood. Now this childish fantasy has become the scenario for the Friend’s fiendish plot to destroy mankind. Kenji goes underground and waits for a chance to fight back. Meanwhile, the evil organization is closing in on a man called Shogun in the ganglands of Bangkok. The mystery grows deeper, the fear more intense, as we near the final battle at the turn of the century… Is there really any way to save the world from annihilation?”
The story takes a flying leap forward in this fourth volume of 20th Century Boys, a flying leap in both plot advancement and timeline as two years pass from where we last watched Kenji forced to embark on a mission to stop the ‘Friends’ and save the world.
Some note-worthy new listings popped up on Amazon over the week and this time one of them even comes with a confirmation from the company.
Two new Digital Manga listings of interest: one is for another omnibus edition of a previously released series of theirs, this time Hinako Takanaga’s fantastically charming Little Butterfly (big recommendations from me on this one!). This joins the already confirmed omnibus for Makoto Tateno’s Yellow.
Speaking of whom, Makoto Tateno’s boys’ love series Yokan is now listed on Amazon from Digital Manga under the name Preminition. Some yaoi fans may recall this title as having been previously licensed by the now defunk DramaQueen (under the title Omen). Word is that several of DQ’s licenses have begun to expire after years of no releases, which means there’s a likely possibility for more license rescues in the coming future. Preminition, along with a couple other newer licenses, are now listed on Digital Manga’s website.
Other Amazon finds of interest includes two editions of Yen Press’s upcoming first volume release of Soul Eater, one of which apparently coming with a presumably-snazzy slipcover. Extra attention for a series with a big fan base? Speaking of big fan-base (which should be bigger still!), Yen Press will be releasing not one, not two but six volumes of Yotsuba&! this September!
And lastly, though my Twitter followers heard this from me a couple days ago, listings for Akira by Kodansha Comics (previously reported as one of the most solid pieces of Kodansa-related news the English manga world has gotten so far) are now all being listed as the following: Akira Volume # (Akira (del Rey)).
This isn’t the first time I’ve noted overlap in publishing credits between Kodansha Comics and Del Rey, who already has a close connection with the company and releases their titles predominantly. Of course this could just be a slip-up on Amazon’s part, though some other retail sites have the publisher for Kodansha Comic’s rereleases of Akira and Ghost in the Shell listed as Random House (of which Del Rey is an imprint of). Is Del Rey merely helping Kodansha find footing in North America? Or could Kodansha Comics show up as another Random House imprint as a more all-inclusive joint agreement for manga releases? Time will (we hope) tell for sure!
Some pretty exciting manga news came courtesy of About: Manga’s Deb Aoki who has news from Tokyopop that many have been waiting to here. Hearing the cries of their readers, Tokyopop has finally found an American paper mill that will be supplying them with a paper closer to the quality of their original.
I join those in crying out a big yay! Although the lesser-quality paper wouldn’t have stopped me from purchasing my favourites, it was still depressing seeing those skinny little spines and see-through pages. A thank you to Tokyopop for not letting our whines fall on deaf ears.
Tokyopop will also be doing something I think is fantastic: a live Webinar with members of their staff to answer questions and share some news about the company. It’ll be like an industry panel without the con. The time of it sadly is rather inconvenient for us 9-5′ers though, taking place 1-2pm PST this Thursday (August 6th). Though I’m in Atlantic time (4 hours ahead of PST), I’ll be in transit home during this webinar but don’t think I won’t be hoping for a speedy drive home.
I’m curious what my readers think: would you be interested in being one of the 1000-cap able to attend Tokyopop’s Webinar? And how about that paper; happy to see a return to the thicker weight or impartial?
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Manga-ka: Shinobu Ohtaka
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: May 2009
Synopsis: “Momoko is the only child of the Kuzuryuu clan, a powerful martial arts family with inhuman strength. But strong as she is, her father fears a woman will never be able to master the skills of the family. Unless Momoko marries and bears a capable heir, the Kuzuryuu line is doomed to weaken and die off! With this mission in mind, Momoko is sent to the rival Inuzuka clan, where she is to marry the son of their mighty leader. But Koushi Inuzuka abandoned the martial arts long ago. Now committed to his legal studies, the last thing Koushi has on his mind is marriage—especially not to the world’s strongest bride!”
Sumomomo Momomo proved an odd title to review. After some previous exposure to this title in Yen Press, I found it a generally entertaining and well done work, but representing some elements of manga some fans could do without. As yet another young couple find themselves forced together by their martial artist fathers, we’re greeted with speedy action scenes, nonsensical fighting moves, and yet more examples of the haunting spectre of Moe.
VIZ MEDIA DEBUTS CELEBRATED ROMANTIC MANGA SERIES KIMI NI TODOKE: FROM ME TO YOU
Releasing Today!
San Francisco, CA, August 4, 2009 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, will debut Karuho Shiina’s celebrated romantic shojo manga (graphic novels for girls) series KIMI NI TODOKE: FROM ME TO YOU today. The new series, published under VIZ Media’s SHOJO BEAT imprint, is rated ‘T’ for Teens and carries an MSRP of $8.99 U.S. / $10.50 CAN. Bonus stickers are also included in limited quantities of Volume 1.
Sawako Kuronuma is the perfect heroine – for a horror movie! With her jet-black hair, sinister smile and silent demeanor, she’s often mistaken for the haunting movie character Sadako. But behind her scary façade is a very misunderstood teenager. Too shy to fit in, all she wants to do is make some friends. But when the most popular boy in class befriends her, she’s sure to make more than just that – and she’s about to make some enemies too!
Canada’s Empire Theatres recently put up a landing page for the upcoming special event screenings of Evangelion 1.0. The threatres and dates were announced by Funimation earlier in the summer but Empire Theatre’s page has a few additional locations and times than those originally listed from ET (including two locations now playing it in Halifax, yay!).
Two times are now listed for the showings as well: Wednesday, September 30th and Saturday, October 3rd. The movie itself will be dubbed and will not have any special featurettes playing before or after it (unless specifically added by the individual threatres).
Along with this new information, you can also now pre-order your tickets for Empire Theatre showings, something worth doing in the near future thanks to the notority of large anime screenings selling out. Most theatres will also be hosting cosplay contests in connection with the film and will have some goodies on hand for prizes and freebies, including posters and postcards, and even a few surprises.
Empire Theatres will also be playing Studio Ghibli/Disney’s Ponyo in select theatres across Canada later in the summer with final showtimes and any-applicable special event information coming soon.
NEW BLACK BIRD MANGA SERIES TAKES FLIGHT FROM VIZ MEDIA
New Romantic Supernatural Adventure Series About A Teenage Girl Who Sees Ghosts Was The Winner Of The Prestigious
2009 Shogakukan Manga Award
San Francisco, CA, August 3, 2009 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the launch on August 4th of BLACK BIRD, a brand new shojo manga (graphic novels for girls) series by Kanoko Sakurakoji. BLACK BIRD is rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens and will carry an MSRP of $8.99 U.S. / $10.50 CAN.
There is a world of myth and magic that intersects ours, and only a special few can see it. Misao Harada is one such person, but she wants nothing to do with magical realms and just wants to have a normal high school life and maybe get a boyfriend. But all that changes one day when Misao is attacked by a demon. Her childhood friend Kyo suddenly returns to save her and tends to her cuts – with his tongue! It turns out Misao is the bride of prophecy, whose blood gives power to the demon clan who claims her. But most demons want to keep her power for themselves – by eating her! Now Misao is just trying to stay alive and trying to decide if she likes it when Kyo licks her wounds.
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Manga-ka: Hiroko Ishimaru
Publisher: June
Rating: Mature (18+)
Release Date: February 2009
Synopsis: “On his way home one peaceful night, Keigo Someha, detective-by-day/assassin-by-night, discovers a boy collapsed on the street. He takes the boy home, but soon finds out that he’s taken in something troublesome. For one thing, the boy, who introduces himself as Emiya Nozaki, asks to be allowed to stay in Keigo’s house permanently. Emiya doesn’t seem to know much about household chores or ordinary everyday stuff. He seems to be keeping a huge secret, and he seems to have a knack for finding missing people- something that is invaluable with Keigo’s “official” work.”
At some point, being a detective replaced being a hairdresser as the stereotypical job for gay men, if yaoi manga is anything to go by. Keigo, however, is not just any gay detective, he’s also an assassin! And Emiya isn’t just any cute waif with psychic powers, he’s… well, actually, you’ve probably seen both of these characters before, not just in yaoi manga but in various mediums. And you’ve probably seen them done much better than in Love/Knot.
Bamboo Blade (Vol.11)
"This later volume in the series continues its fun mix of slapstick comedy, realistic sports and deadpan characters."
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