Kuriousity | manga reviews and news

Author Archive for Lissa Pattillo

PR: SuBLime Continues Anniversary Celebration with Special Website Sale…

By Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, February 18, 2014

GLOBAL YAOI PUBLISHER SuBLime CONTINUES ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION WITH SPECIAL WEBSITE SALE ON ALL DIGITAL MANGA TITLES

English-Language Yaoi Publisher Celebrates Valentine’s Day With A Limited-Time $1 Discount On All Digital Titles Currently On The SuBLime Website!

San Francisco, CA, February 14, 2014 – SuBLime, the global yaoi manga publishing initiative between VIZ Media and Japan’s Animate, Ltd. (Animate), continues to celebrate its 2 Year Anniversary with the latest announcement of a special discount on all digital titles currently featured on SuBLimeManga.com.

For a limited time, beginning today and running through February 20th, the SuBLime Website Digital Sale will discount every manga volume from over 50 available yaoi series by $1.00 (U.S. / CAN) making most single editions available in a download-to-own format for only $4.99 (U.S. / CAN) each.

Individual volumes are generally rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers and are viewable as a PDF on any enabled eReader device or computer, or also accessed via the online manga viewer found on the SuBLime website.

Among the many digital titles that will be on sale on the SuBLime website are several that are sure to capture the attention and accolades of yaoi fans such as NIGHTS by Kou Yoneda, along with license rescues EMBRACING LOVE by Youka Nitta and LOVE PISTOLS by Tarako Kotobui, in addition to dozens more from a cadre of top yaoi manga creators including Hinako Takanaga, est em, Suzuki Tanaka, Tetuzoh Okadaya, and many more. Please visit www.sublimemanga.com/titles for a complete list of current titles.

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Boys' Love/Yaoi, Digital, SuBLime, Viz Media

Seven Seas Licenses First Yuri of 2014, Citrus

By Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, February 16, 2014

1 Comment »

Seven Seas is a licensing force that feels like it can’t be stopped! And I’m certainly not going to get in their way (though I am having a little difficulty keeping up!). At the end of January, they announced what we can only hope is their first yuri license of the year:

Citrus – Saburouta

The plot of Citrus sounds like one of those anime-stereotype sis-cest stories ,only with two girls. While I usually avoid those kinds of series, it looks like I’ll be making an exception for this one. It’s a yuri – I must!

Citrus follows a young woman who’s never been in love, yet finds herself both annoyed and enthralled by the student council president at her new school. However, it turns out said-president is her new step-sister and, to top it off, the two are now living together.

The first volume of Citrus is scheduled for December 2014 and will retail at $15.99/CAN, $13.99/US.

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Licensing
Tags: Citrus, Seven Seas, Yuri

Good Things Come In Threes With New Yen Press Licenses

By Lissa Pattillo on Saturday, February 15, 2014

No Comments »

Yen Press managed to do the nearly-impossible yesterday by announcing three new manga licenses… via their own website! It was a triple Valentine’s Day treat:

Accel World – Reki Kawahara & Hiroyuki Aigamo
Barakamon – Satsuki Yoshino
Übel Blatt – Etorouji Shiono

We’re so used to finding out licenses via social media or retail listings, that reading the news first from a company’s RSS feed felt like a foreign experience. It’s also been a while since we’ve heard licensing news from Yen Press in general. I’ve no complaints of course, and all these licenses look great. It’s also the first time any of these creators have been published in English.

Accel World is a repeat title for Yen Press. They announced that they had licensed the original light novels last summer. The story follows students who can log into their school network to participate, and compete, in a virtual world where winning imbues the players with powers in the real world.

Baramamon – which has some adorable looking cover artwork – is about a young calligrapher who must move to a small island. There his city habits are tested as he befriends the locals and gets accustomed to his new life there. This series looks really charming – I hope the covers don’t steer me wrong!

And then there’s Übel Blatt, a series I’ve already seen compared to Berserk repeatedly. As a fan of that series, I’m certainly not adverse to another violent, fantasy epic full of elves and magic. The story follows a young swordsmen with a dark past out on a quest for revenge! Good stories can come from small plot packages. Yen Press will be releasing Übel Blatt in omnibus editions collecting two in one.

All three titles are scheduled to start in Fall of this year.

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Licensing
Tags: Accel World, Barakamon, Ubel Blatt, Yen Press

PR: Digital Manga Inc To Bring the Remaining Tezuka Library…

By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, February 13, 2014

No Comments »

Digital Manga, Inc. to Bring the Remaining Tezuka Library to the Rest of the Manga Reading World!

Gardena, CA (February 12, 2014) Tezuka Productions Co. Ltd. (Main Office: Tokyo, Shinjuku, Takadanobaba. President: Takayuki Matsutani) and Digital Manga, Inc. (Main Office: Los Angeles, California, USA. President: Hikaru Sasahara), are proud to officially announce its latest partnership deal—to bring Tezuka’s backlist of manga titles, which have not yet been adapted and published beyond the shores of Japan, to the English language market, utilizing Digital Manga’s localizing production strong-arm, the Digital Manga Guild—to publish and distribute in digital editions.

Tezuka Productions—the Japanese production studio founded by the Father of Manga, Osamu Tezuka, and brought to the anime and manga fandom famous works that stirred controversial, political and cultural awareness to the masses since the 50’s, for such titles as Astro Boy, Unico, Budda, Blackjack, etc.—specifically appointed the Digital Manga Guild to localize their library to English, and then eventually to other languages. Tezuka Productions believes that DMI’s Digital Manga Guild, which brings together the enthusiastic and energizing spirit of the manga/anime fandom in a co-op revenue share venture between Japanese publishers, manga localizers (comprised primarily of manga/anime fans) and Digital Manga, follows the spirit of community and membership, which is in-line with the same philosophy of Osamu Tezuka’s vision of his works through Tezuka Productions.

With over 250 of Tezuka Productions’ works untapped to the rest of the manga reading world, it’s the Digital Manga Guild’s privilege, pride and joy to be able to undertake this huge localization task and to help fulfill every manga translator, editor, and typesetter’s dream to work on such high profile projects. Digital Manga welcomes all localizers, especially Tezuka fans, to join the Digital Manga Guild, digitalmangaguild.com, and participate in the localization efforts to bring these great works to the rest of the world. Some of the most notable works DMG will start will be titles such as The Three-Eyed One, Vampires, Metamorphosis, Big X, and Rainbow Parakeet.

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Digital, Digital Manga, Osamu Tezuka

Daring Doujinshi As Seven Seas Announces Dance in Vampire Bund Anthologies

By Lissa Pattillo on Friday, February 7, 2014

No Comments »

Seven Seas is joining Yen Press at bringing doujinshi to North America. While doujinshi is a word for self-published comics, the term is used primarily by English-speaking audiences for fan-works based on preexisting properties. Seven Seas simultaneously pleases fans of one of their most popular series with this week’s doujinshi license:

Dance in the Vampire Bund: Forgotten Tales – Various
Dance in the Vampire Bund: Secret Chronicles – Various

These two collections of short stories are primarily contributed to by fans of Dance in the Vampire Bund. They’ve been compiled by Seven Seas from a variety of smaller publications previously sold in Japanese comic markets.

The series original creator, Nozomu Tamaki, also contributed new stories to these books as well. Secret Chronicles is especially notable for fans of the original series as Nozomu Tamaki oversaw all the short stories within it, giving them official capacity. They’re canon, folks!

Forgotten Tales is scheduled to be released in June 2014, while Secret Chronicles will follow behind in October.

Credit for the news goes to ICv2

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Licensing
Tags: Dance in the Vampire Bund, Seven Seas

PR: Viz Media Delivers Pulse-Pounding Action and Suspense…

By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, February 6, 2014

No Comments »

VIZ MEDIA DELIVERS PULSE-POUNDING ACTION AND SUSPENSE WITH THE LAUNCH OF NEW MANGA SERIES GANGSTA.

New Crime Thriller From The VIZ Signature Imprint Offers A High-Octane Mix Of Drama, Suspense And Comedy

San Francisco, CA, February 6, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, delivers a knockout punch with the launch of the explosive new manga (graphic novel) series – GANGSTA. – on February 18th.

The tense crime thriller by creator Kohske will be published under the VIZ Signature imprint, is rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers, and will carry an MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $14.99 CAN. Each print volume features a special two-sided full color frontispiece insert.

In the city of Ergastulum, a shady ville filled with made men and petty thieves, whores on the make and cops on the take, there are some deeds too dirty for even its jaded inhabitants to touch. Enter the “Handymen,” Nic and Worick, who take care of the jobs no one else will handle. Until the day when a cop they know on the force requests their help in taking down a new gang muscling in on the territory of a top Mafia family. It seems like business (and mayhem) as usual, but the Handymen are about to find that this job is a lot more than they bargained for.

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Gangsta, Viz Media

PR: Viz Media Releases New 3-in-1 Omnibus Editions of High School Debut

By Lissa Pattillo on Monday, February 3, 2014

No Comments »

VIZ MEDIA RELEASES NEW 3-IN-1 OMNIBUS EDITIONS OF HIT SHOJO MANGA SERIES HIGH SCHOOL DEBUT

New Editions Of A Girl’s Endearing And Hilarious Quest For Love Will Include Side Stories Never Before Published In English

San Francisco, CA, February 3, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, has announced the release of a new 3-in-1 omnibus edition for the manga (graphic novel) series HIGH SCHOOL DEBUT on February 4th.

The opening omnibus volume from the Shojo Beat imprint contains the first 3 volumes of the hit series by Kazune Kawahara, is rated ‘T’ for Teens, and will carry an MSRP of $14.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN. VIZ Media will release Vol. 2 of the 3-in-1 adaptations on May 6th. The final 3-in-1 volume (Vol. 5) will contain the series finale as well as 2 additional volumes of special side stories and collected new material that has never before been published in English.

Individual volumes of HIGH SCHOOL DEBUT are also available digitally for $6.99 (U.S. / CAN) on VIZManga.com and the VIZ MANGA App for the Apple iPad®, iPhone® and iPod® touch, Android-powered smart phones and 7” tablets as well as for the Nook, Kindle, Kobo, iBooks and GooglePlay stores.

Hapless Haruna needs help finding a boyfriend! After failing to win the eye of any guy in high school, Haruna enlists the help of cute upperclassman Yoh to coach her on how to make herself more appealing. Yoh agrees, but with one catch: Haruna better not fall for him! In the opening volumes, with Yoh’s help, Haruna starts to discover all sorts of dating tips – how to dress better, what guys to avoid, and what it feels like to fall in love for the first time. Haruna’s foray into love has its ups and downs, but nothing’s going to prepare her for when she actually lands herself a boyfriend!

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Press Releases
Tags: High School Debut, Omnibus, Shojo Beat, Viz Media

Seven Seas Switches It Up With Body Swapping Manga Kokoro Connects

By Lissa Pattillo on Friday, January 31, 2014

No Comments »

One of the most entertaining manga I’ve read recently has been Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, published digitally by Crunchyroll. It begins with a young man discovering he has the ability to switch bodies with others thanks to a kiss. Naturally, plenty of body-switching hilarity ensues! But, though this post serves as a convenient chance to promote such a fun series, it’s actually about another story where there’s body-switching afoot in school:

Kokoro Connects – Sadanatsu Anda & CuteG

Seven Seas announced they’d acquired the license to Kokoro Connects on their Twitter account earlier this week. The series is scheduled to start in August 2014 with volume one, while it remains on-going in Japan with five currently compiled books so far.

“Five members of the school culture club – Taichi Yaegashi, Iori Nagase, Himeko Inaba, Yui Kiriyama, and Yoshifumi Aoki – encounter a bizarre phenomenon one day when Aoki and Yui switch personalities without warning. The same begins to happen to the other club members, throwing their daily lives into chaos. At first the five students find some amusement among the confusion, but this connection also exposes the painful scars hidden within their hearts… When their calm lives are shattered, the relationships between the five students also begin to change!” – Crunchyroll

Kokoro Connects has also been adapted into an anime, which was streamed by Crunchyroll in 2012.

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Licensing
Tags: Kokoro Connects, Seven Seas

PR: Gritty Post Apocalyptic DEADMAN WONDERLAND Debuts February 11th In-Print & Digitally

By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, January 29, 2014

No Comments »

DEADMAN WONDERLAND RETURNS TO
NORTH AMERICA AS VIZ MEDIA RELEASES
POST APOCALYPTIC MANGA SERIES SET IN A BIZARRE FUTURISTIC PRISON

A Student Must Fight To Clear His Name And Catch A Mass Killer After Being Wrongfully Sentenced To A Carnival-Like Penitentiary Where Nothing Is As It Seems

San Francisco, CA, January 29, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, unleashes a gritty manga (graphic novel) story of survival with the print and digital debut of DEADMAN WONDERLAND on February 11th.

Volume 1, featuring story and artwork by Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou, is rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens and will carry a print MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN. A digital version will also launch for $6.99 (USD/CAN) on February 11th on VIZManga.com and through the VIZ MANGA App for the Apple iPad®, iPhone® and iPod® touch, Android-powered smart phones, as well as through the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks and GooglePlay stores.

VIZ Media will publish Volume 2 of DEADMAN WONDERLAND in April with additional editions of the 13-volume series scheduled to be released bi-monthly.

Framed for the brutal murders of his classmates by the mysterious Red Man, middle school student Ganta Igarashi finds himself sentenced to death and sent to a bizarre and fatal theme park/prison that has risen from the ruins of the Great Tokyo Earthquake – a hell on earth known as “Deadman Wonderland.” The inmates of this insane penitentiary fight for survival every day to provide entertainment for the masses, and terrifying secrets lurk in the shadows. Ganta is determined to survive Deadman Wonderland and clear his name, but the price may be his soul.

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Deadman Wonderland, Viz Media

PR: Goku Returns To NA in Vivid New Manga Edition DRAGON BALL FULL COLOR!

By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, January 29, 2014

No Comments »

GOKU RETURNS TO NORTH AMERICA AS
VIZ MEDIA RELEASES DRAGON BALL FULL COLOR MANGA EDITION

Experience Akira Toriyama’s Bestselling Martial Arts Action Adventure In Vivid Color

San Francisco, CA, January 27, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, brings Akira Toriyama’s classic manga (graphic novel) series DRAGON BALL back to fans in an entirely new way with the release of DRAGON BALL FULL COLOR Volume 1 on February 4th.

The new edition from the Shonen Jump imprint features a special full-color treatment of the first DRAGON BALL Z manga volume in a larger 6 5/8″ x 10 ¼” size. The volume is rated ‘A’ for All Ages and will carry an MSRP of $19.99 U.S. / $22.99 CAN / £12.99 U.K. Future volumes will be published three times a year.

DRAGON BALL FULL COLOR Vol. 1 also will be available for digital download for $12.99 (USD/CAN) from VIZManga.com and the VIZ MANGA App for the Apple iPad®, iPhone® and iPod® touch, Android-powered smart phones, as well as through the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks and GooglePlay stores.

In the series, Son Goku is the greatest hero on Earth. Five years after defeating the demon king Piccolo, he’s grown up and has a family. But what is the real reason for Goku’s incredible strength? A visitor from outer space arrives bearing terrible news – Goku is an alien, and the visitor, Raditz, is Goku’s brother! When Raditz turns out to be a ruthless killer, Goku must fight his incredibly strong brother to save his family and the entire human race. A surprising alliance may be Earth’s last hope: Goku will team up with his old enemy Piccolo to save the world!

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Akira Toriyama, Dragonball, Viz Media