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Archive for February, 2013

Otaku USA: On The Shelf – February 27, 2013

By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, February 28, 2013

It’s a Yen Press and Kodansha Comics week! My top picks of the books released yesterday are Until Death Do Us Part (Vol. 03), and – to my surprise- The Misfortune of Kyon & Koizumi. Those two were the only thing I really enjoyed about the Haruhi franchise, so reading a collection of shorts about them with some boys’ love jokes proved pretty entertaining.

You can read my thoughts on this week’s releases over at my weekly On The Shelf article for Otaku USA.

Air Gear (Vol.27) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Betrayal Knows My Name (Vol.05) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Battle Angel Alita: Last Order (Vol.17) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Cage of Eden (Vol.09) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Kitchen Princess Omnibus (Vol.03) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
The Misfortune of Kyon & Koizumi [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Nabari no Ou (Vol.13) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Pandora Hearts (Vol.14) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Triage X (Vol.02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Umineko When They Cry: Legend of the Golden Witch (Vol.02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Until Death Do Us Part (Vol.03) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]

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Categories: Features, News, On The Shelf, Release Lists
Tags: Air Gear, Cage of Eden, Kodansha Comics, Manga, Nabari no Ou, Oh!Great, Omnibus, Otaku USA, Pandora Hearts, Umineko, Yen Press

PR: Viz Media Announces Exciting Shonen Jump Manga Box Set Debuts For Fall 2013

By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, February 28, 2013

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VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES EXCITING SHONEN JUMP MANGA BOX SET DEBUTS FOR FALL 2013

Catch Pirate Adventures In A New ONE PIECE Box Set And Manga Industry Drama In The Complete BAKUMAN。Box Set

San Francisco, CA, February 27, 2013 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, has just announced new manga (graphic novel) acquisitions scheduled for Fall release under its popular Shonen Jump imprint. The upcoming releases include the complete BAKUMAN。series box set, and a box set collection of the first part of the ONE PIECE saga.

BAKUMAN。BOX SET • Rated ‘T’ for Teens •
MSRP: $159.99 U.S. / $159.99 CAN • Available October 1st 2013
Discover the mystery of manga-making in the bestselling series by Tsugumi Ohba, the creator of the hit series DEATH NOTE, available for the first time in a complete box set. The Box Set includes Volumes 1 through 20, plus the bonus mini-comic “Otter No. 11,” along with a full-color, two-sided poster.

In BAKUMAN。, average student Moritaka Mashiro enjoys drawing for fun. When his classmate and aspiring writer Akito Takagi discovers his talent, he begs Moritaka to team up with him as a manga-creating duo. But what exactly does it take to make it in the manga-publishing world? Also catch BAKUMAN。in the pages of VIZ Media’s Weekly Shonen Jump manga magazine.

ONE PIECE BOX SET: EAST BLUE & BAROQUE WORKS • Rated ‘T’ for Teens •
MSRP $185.99 U.S. / $185.99 CAN • Available November 1st 2013
A premium box set that bundles the first two story arcs of ONE PIECE, one of the most beloved and bestselling manga series of all time! The Box Set includes volumes 1-23, which comprise the series’ first two story arcs, East Blue and Baroque Works. The set includes an exclusive poster and mini-comic, and delivers great savings over buying the volumes individually to make for a true pirate’s treasure for any manga fan!

As a child, Monkey D. Luffy dreamed of becoming King of the Pirates. But his life changed when he accidentally ate the Gum-Gum Fruit, an enchanted Devil Fruit that gave him the ability to stretch like rubber. The only drawback? He’ll never be able to swim again – a serious handicap for an aspiring sea dog! Years later, Luffy sets off on his quest to find the “One Piece,” said to be the greatest treasure in the world… Also catch ONE PIECE in the pages of VIZ Media’s digital Weekly Shonen Jump manga magazine.

For more information on these or other manga titles from VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump imprint, please visit ShonenJump.com.

Vertical Inc Licenses Tropic of the Sea and Sickness Unto Death for Autumn Release

By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, February 27, 2013

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Almost missed these licenses! Vertical Inc. announced two new titles at the recently passed Katsucon:

Sickness Unto Death – Hikari Asada
Tropic of the Sea – Satoshi Kon

Tropic of the Sea will be a single volume released in September 2013 (Amazon CAN/US) for $16.95/CAN, $14.95/US. Sickness Unto Death will be released as two single volumes at $14.95/CAN, $12.95/US each. The first is scheduled for later that same month (Amazon CAN/US).

Sickness Unto Death is the first work of Hikari Asada’s to be licensed in English. It’s a romance story about a man trying to discover the cause of a woman’s deep despair.

Tropic of the Sea is by Satoshi Kon, who was best known for his directorial work on several anime features before he passed away in 2010. Some of his best known works include Paprika and Tokyo Godfathers. This is first time we’ve seen one of his manga released in English though, so I’m eager to see how the storytelling is compared to his movies. Tropic of the Sea is about a town where a generations’ old promise with legendary ‘sea people’ is threatened by the development plans for a new resort.

Recently Vertical Inc. has been answering a number of license requests and questions via their Tumblr account.

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Categories: Licensing, News
Tags: Manga, Sickness Unto Death, Tropic of the Sea, Vertical Inc

Manga Minis: Done with Del Rey, No More Kingyo, Interviews for Detail, and a Kickstart for Nothing

By Lissa Pattillo on Monday, February 25, 2013

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The last couple of weeks have had some great manga licenses, and sprinkled amidst them were some other tidbits of news that shouldn’t be missed:

Kodansha Comics has stated via their Twitter account that they would no longer be looking to continue any Del Rey’s manga series that Kodansha had not already taken over. The original question which got this answer was asking about School Rumble, while other series Del Rey had partially released that were not already picked up include Nodame Cantabile, Suzuka, and Basilisk. (via ComicsWorthReading)

House of 1000 Manga is one of my favourite features on AnimeNewsNetwork – Jason Thompson and occasional guest writer, Shaenon Garrity, do phenomenal jobs shining the spotlight on different series. Shaenon’s most recent article housed an interesting but sad piece of information – Viz Media has officially cancelled their release of Kingyo Used Books. The reason cited was licensing complications based on the books mentioned in the series itself. Considering how diverse the series included were, it’s no surprise Viz Media ran into big issues but it’s still disappointing. At least we have some closure on the topic now.

Brigid Alverson has posted two interviews well worth a read this weekend – one with Kevin Harmac, Viz’s director of publish and marketing, over the state of Viz Media’s digital manga; and the second an interview with Tokyopop’s president, Stu Levy. The latter in particular is a really interesting revisit of Tokyopop’s past, present and future straight from Stu himself. Even though much is already known or assumed, it is refreshing to read it coming directly from him.

And last but not least, GEN Manga has recently launched a Kickstarter to help finance a collected print edition of their series, Sorako. GEN has been serializing Sorako digitally via their GEN Manga magazine, and you can currently purchase the full version as a PDF.

I’ve been a naysayer of a manga publisher’s use of Kickstarter in the past, but GEN’s use of the crowd-sourcing system is much more in line with how I think the site can be used responsibly- offering collectors a way to finance something the company couldn’t otherwise do, but for a series readers have had the chance to already read and judge so they’re not pledging blindly. It’s a system that doesn’t rely on scanlation and Japanese readers, or simply risk-takers and faithful, to succeed. GEN is seeking $6000 for the funding.

“Sorako lives an ordinary life. And this is an ordinary story. She has friends and family, loves her dog, thinks about life, and occasionally looks for work (kinda). These are the adventures into a typical girl’s life.”

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Categories: Manga Minis, News
Tags: Del Rey, Digital, GEN Manga, Kickstarter, Kingyo Used Books, Kodansha Comics, Manga, Tokyopop, Viz Media

Seven Seas Goes To Console War With World War Blue

By Lissa Pattillo on Saturday, February 23, 2013

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Within days of announcing three new manga titles, Seven Seas had another to add their growing 2013 announcement list:

World War Blue – Anastasia Shestakova & Crimson

Now this is a unique sounding plot. Whether or not that means it’s a good use of said uniqueness remains to be seen, but it’s definitely got me curious. World War Blue is a ‘retelling’ of video game console wars in Japan with the consoles themselves represented as classic fantasy-style parodies of particular characters. When the Segua Kingdom and the Ninteldo Empire face-off, who comes out the victor? I wonder if gaming history counts as a spoiler…

The series is nine volumes long and each release will contain “a wide array of extra content, such as colorful maps, pin-ups, detailed character bios, and fun bonus features that delve into video game history and lore.” Volume one is scheduled for a July 2013 release.

Credit for the news goes to AnimeNewsNetwork where you can read a detailed press release of the announcement.

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Categories: Licensing, News
Tags: Manga, Seven Seas, Video Games, World War Blue

Otaku USA: On The Shelf – February 20, 2013

By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, February 21, 2013

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Not much manga out this week, which is a little odd for a month’s mid-week. Maybe there wasn’t enough manga-karma left after the manga licenses last week? Who knows! Still some good stuff though~ You can read my thoughts on this week’s releases at the usual place, Otaku USA’s On The Shelf article.

Dance in the Vampire Bund Omnibus (Vol.02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Lizzie Newton: Victorian Mysteries (Vol.02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Neon Genesis Evangelion Comic Tribute [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
The Wallflower (Vol.30) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]

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Categories: Features, News, On The Shelf, Release Lists
Tags: Dance in the Vampire Bund, Dark Horse, Kodansha Comics, Lizzie Newton, Manga, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Otaku USA, Seven Seas, The Wallflower

Viz Media Brings The Romance and Magic With Five New Licenses

By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, February 20, 2013

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Leave it to the manga publishers to shower us with gifts during a period of time I’m having issues updating the website. What a world, right? Upside to recent site issues here at Kuriousity is that it should be working smoother and loading quicker now than before!

The inner workings of Kuriousity is not what drew you to this post though, that would be the five new manga licenses that Viz Media announced late last week:

Happy Marriage?! – Maki Enjouji
August 2013 ($9.99/US, $12.99/CAN), 18+

Magi – Shinobu Ohtaka
August 2013 ($9.99/US, $12.99/CAN)

Midnight Secretary – Tomu Ohmi Tomu
September 2013 ($9.99/US, $12.99/CAN), 18+

Sweet Rein – Sakura Tsukuba
November 2013 ($9.99/US, $12.99/CAN)

Voice Over – Maki Minami
October 2013 ($9.99/US, $12.99/CAN)

All of the titles are being published under Viz’s Shoujo Beat imprint, with the exception of Magi which will be an addition to their long-dormant, Shonen Sunday. I love how the release dates aren’t very far off either, so not too long to wait for what sound like some well worth waiting for titles!

PR: GEN Manga Announces the launch of new Korean Comics Magazine, GEN Manhwa!

By Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, February 19, 2013

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GEN Manga Announces the launch of new Korean Comics Magazine, GEN Manhwa!

GEN Manhwa, featuring Stone Collector, is available nationwide Feb. 2013!

NEW YORK, NY – GEN Manga Entertainment, Inc. announces the release of GEN Manhwa (GEN Manhwa, featuring Stone Collector, 54 pages, black and white) will be available Feb. 2013.

GEN Manga welcomes 2013 with exciting new publishing plans! GEN Manga will release monthly indie Korean GEN Mahnwa!

“It’s a non-stop full of action title full of monsters and zombies! Very high grade stuff!”

Stone Collector: Pieces of curse fall from the sky as if to mock the cruelty and evil of humanity. These stones create wretched beasts and the blood of these beasts turn human flesh into the undead. There is only one thing that can destroy these hellish fiends—Jade Stone. This is the story of a Stone Collector. One who wields Jade forged blades. A man whose family was murdered by these evil abominations and he has now vowed to rid the world of the foul presence. —Author: Kevin Han —Artist: Zom-J

This year GEN will also release a complete list of graphic novels. All new graphic novels with all new content along with the return of old stories with new artwork and new chapters! GEN Manga will release new content every month, this time, in the form of one-shot graphic novels, otherwise known in Japan as tankobon!

The second release 2013 in GEN Manga’s publishing schedule is the indie fan favorite Sorako!

The art of Sorako is fluid, quick, imprecise. Lines aren’t perfectly straight nor details entirely accurate, but the rough drafting style gives the frames energy and character, enhancing the impression that the artist’s goal is to tell Sorako’s story, blemishes and all. —AnimeNation

Sorako lives an ordinary life. And this is an ordinary story. She has friends and family, loves her dog, thinks about life, and occasionally looks for work (kinda). These are the adventures into a typical girl’s life.

—Author & Artist: Takayuki Fujimura

GEN Manga will also release its first Kickstarter to help promote print here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1450575711/sorako-a-manga-about-nothing?ref=live

GEN stories are published nowhere else in the world. These stories are created by the elusive doujin creators in Tokyo’s secret underground circles, otherwise known in the west as independent creators and hard core fans.

Presenting new indie manga circles from Japan, GEN, a monthly publication, will be released in the US and Japan simultaneously. Digital format and print editions for GEN are available now. Based in New York, GEN Manga Entertainment (www.genmanga.com) endeavors to publish new and unseen graphic work from Japan, being in the unique position to bring readers work first, more original and untamed manga will be sure to come!

For more information, please contact: Robert McGuire– (646) 535-0090, editor@genmanga.com

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: GEN Manga, Kickstarter, Magazine, Manhwa

PR: Viz Media Announces New Manga Acquisitions for Shojo Beat & Shonen Sunday Imprints

By Lissa Pattillo on Friday, February 15, 2013

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VIZ MEDIA PREPARES NORTH AMERICAN FANS FOR HOT NEW MANGA RELEASES FROM SHOJO BEAT AND SHONEN SUNDAY IMPRINTS

New Acquisitions Set To Debut Beginning This Summer Include MIDNIGHT SECRETARY and MAGI

San Francisco, CA, February 14, 2013 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, has just announced details on several new forthcoming manga series acquisitions scheduled to launch beginning this summer and continuing into the fall.

Four of the brand new manga titles that will be published under VIZ Media’s Shojo Beat imprint are HAPPY MARRIAGE?! by creator Maki Enjoji, MIDNIGHT SECRETARY by creator/artist Tomu Ohmi, SWEET REIN from creator Sakura Tsukuba, and VOICE OVER!: SEIYUU ACADEMY by creator/artist Maki Minami. Under the Shonen Sunday imprint, VIZ will publish the popular new series MAGI, by creator Shinobu Ohtaka.

“Summer and fall are shaping up to be exciting seasons for manga fans as we preview several notable acquisitions for our Shojo Beat and Shonen Sunday imprints,” says Leyla Aker, VIZ Media Vice President of Editorial. “From the odd-couple romances of HAPPY MARRIAGE?! and MIDNIGHT SECRETARY, to the anime industry-inspired comedy of VOICE OVER!: SEIYUU ACADEMY, and the supernatural drama of SWEET REIN, there will be a variety of intriguing new stories in store for our readers. And if exotic adventure is more your speed, you definitely won’t want to miss the North American debut of MAGI, the manga series that’s the basis for the popular anime.”

Centaurs, Succubi & Lamias – Seven Seas Licenses Three New Titles

By Lissa Pattillo on Friday, February 15, 2013

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Seven Seas was one of several publishers who took February 14th as a sign to dish out the treats with new licenses. Via a press release sent out mid-day, the company revealed three new manga licenses that sound almost as unique as their leads look:

A Centaur’s Life – Kei Murayama (November 2013)
Love in Hell – Reiji Suzumaru (October 2013)
Monster Musume – OKAYADO (October 2013)

All three series will begin in the Fall of this year and are all scheduled to be released as single volume books. The similarities don’t stop there, as each title stars a non-human female character including one being a centaur-girl – weird!

… but also intriguing. Of the three, A Centaur’s Life looks the most interesting. I really like what I’ve seen of the artwork (look at that adorable art above on the right!), and the story sounds really cute simply for how simple it sounds in contrast with its characters. Centaurs, horned-devils and winged-individuals all going through the trials of being teenagers in school – it’s so odd it just might work.

Love In Hell is about a young man who dies after a drunken accident and finds himself down in Hell. There he meets a mischievous devil girl who is deigned his guide to eternal torment unless he can work with her to repent for his sins. Eep? I’m on the fence on this title – art and synopsis is enough to make me curious, but the kind of humour a series like this has can make or break it for me. We’ll see what I think when volume one comes out in October.

And lastly there’s Monster Musume, which I can definitely say has not grasped my interest. It’s not the kind of series I’d pick up voluntarily but I’m sure it’s got an audience out there who’ll love this license, which is great. Market diversity, we have it! The story takes place in a future where human beings have learned that supernatural creatures really exist. Working together to try and incorporate them into society, a government exchange program is started, one in which a male volunteer soon finds himself host to three attractive monster girls with breasts to spare and hormones to flair. Boobs.

With supernatural creatures like vampires and zombies being such cultural hits in recent years, it’s neat seeing Seven Seas try to poke part of that audience from a different angle. Lots of fan-service layered on top I doubt hurts in these instances either. You can read more detailed descriptions of each story in Seven Seas’ press release, while credit for the news originally goes to AnimeNewsNetwork.

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Categories: Licensing, News
Tags: Seven Seas