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Review: Gate 7 (Vol. 01)

By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, October 20, 2011

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Manga-ka: CLAMP
Publisher: Dark Horse
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: October 2011

Synopsis: “An innocent sightseeing trip to Kyoto opens up a magical realm to shy high schooler Chikahito Takamoto! Visiting a legendary shrine, Chikahito finds himself in the mystical world of Hana and her comrades–and his immunity to their powers leads them to believe that he’s no ordinary, awkward teenager! Protecting our world from violent elemental beasts, Hana and her team welcomes the confused Chikahito–who isn’t quite sure that he wants to be caught in the middle of their war! One’s thing’s certain, though, since he’s smitten with aloof, childlike warrior Hana, he’s along for the ride, for better or worse!”

Buying the first volume of a new CLAMP series is a treat and I’ve been so excited to get a hold of this book for quite some time. I know next to nothing about Gate 7 (I made sure it was so!), excluding my constant following of Dark Horse’s bumpy release attempts. But now it’s finally here and at last I can share my thoughts extending past a disappointed sigh. Gate 7‘s opening volume takes off fast while simultaneously trudging along slowly. None the less, CLAMP’s skill at gripping your eyes with their great artwork and tugging at your heart with their likeable characters still makes Gate 7 an effective opening instalment to their newest series.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: CLAMP, Dark Horse, Gate 7, Manga

Otaku USA: On The Shelf – October 19, 2011

By Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, October 18, 2011

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Back from New York with a suitcase full of swag and I was still excited to get home and see what new goodies are out this week! If you’re curious about what new manga titles are out, you can pop over to Otaku USA to read my On The Shelf article for the week.

A big chunk of my excitement for this week’s releases is because the first volume of Gate 7 is finally out. CLAMP are some of my favourite creators and to have a new title from them to read for the first time is really exciting. How many years has it been since that happened? Plus the book looks gorgeous! Dark Horse has a preview of the manga’s first chapter over on their website that you can read to get an early glimpse.

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Categories: On The Shelf, Release Lists
Tags: CLAMP, Dark Horse, Kodansha Comics, Manga, Manhwa, Otaku USA, Vertical Inc

NYAF 2011: Viz Media

By Lissa Pattillo on Monday, October 17, 2011

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Manga programming was light after Friday at NYCC, but Sunday had Viz Media‘s panel with a big announcement to share and some licenses worth getting giddy for. I’ve included the full write up of the panel in my post here, including the anime-related news instead of just the manga. Since the post is so lengthy, however, here’s a quick summary of the event manga-wise:

New licenses:

Jiu Jiu – Toya Tobino
Loveless – Yun Kouga

Announcement:

Shonen Jump print magazine to be discontinued in March 2012; replaced by digital edition that will come out weekly and feature new chapters of titles from Japan within weeks of their release. Graphic novels of these titles will be released digitally to allow readers to get caught up before the new chapters begin. Viz Media is calling this their ‘digital warp’.

You can read the full details and anime news under the cut!

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Categories: Licensing, News
Tags: Bakuman, Bleach, Boys' Love/Yaoi, Conventions, Loveless, Manga, Naoki Urasawa, Neon Genesis Evangelion, NYAF 2011, NYCC, Omnibus, One Piece, Shoujo Beat, Skip Beat, Toriko, Viz Media

PR: Kodansha Comics’ New iPad App Debuts at NYCC

By Lissa Pattillo on Monday, October 17, 2011

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KODANSHA COMICS’ NEW IPAD APP DEBUTS AT NEW YORK COMIC-CON
APP CREATED AND SERVICED BY RANDOM HOUSE PUBLISHER SERVICES

App to launch with $2.99 Fairy Tail promotion in celebration of manga creator New York Comic-Con guest Hiro Mashima

NEW YORK, October 14, 2011 – Kodansha USA Publishing is proud to announce the debut of the Kodansha Comics app, appearing at midnight tonight in the iTunes store. The app was created by Random House, Inc.’s digital content team on behalf of Kodansha, a Random House Publisher Services division client. It will be free to download, with most volumes priced for sale at $4.99. The Kodansha Comics iPad app will launch with 34 books covering four series: Arisa by Natsumi Ando; Fairy Tail by Hiro Mashima; Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei by Koji Kumeta; and Until the Full Moon by Sanami Matoh. Additional series will be added to the app in the near future.

In a special launch promotion designed to celebrate the appearance at New York Comic-Con of Fairy Tail creator Hiro Mashima, all fifteen volumes of Fairy Tail will be available at the special price of $2.99 each for a limited time.

Random House, Inc. has been increasing its own focus on the digital world with the acquisition in May of digital media agency Smashing Ideas, as well as with its in-house corporate digital content and services group. With numerous apps and specialized eBooks under their belt, the Random House team was the ideal choice to develop this exciting new app for Kodansha.

Servicing this app is a natural extension of Random House Publisher Services distribution agreement with Kodansha USA Publishing, which covers sales and distribution, and also editorial, production and marketing.

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Kodansha Comics, Manga, Negima, NYCC

PR: Kodansha Comics Announces Attack On Titan at NYCC

By Lissa Pattillo on Monday, October 17, 2011

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KODANSHA COMICS ANNOUNCES HAJIME ISAYAMA’S
ATTACK ON TITAN AT NEW YORK COMIC-CON

Also reveals Genshiken and Kitchen Princess omnibuses

NEW YORK, October 14, 2011 – Today at New York Comic-Con Kodansha Comics announced three new titles for summer 2012: Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayama, Genshiken Omnibus by Kio Shimoku, and Kitchen Princess Omnibus by Natsumi Ando and Miyuki Kobayashi.

** Attack on Titan
Humanity has been devastated by the bizarre, giant humanoids known as the Titans. Little is known about where they came from or why they are bent on consuming humanity. Seemingly unintelligent, they have roamed the world killing off humankind for years. For the past century, what’s left of mankind has hidden in a giant, three-walled city. People believe their 100-meter-high walls will protect them from the Titans, which are 10 to 20 meters tall. But the sudden appearance of an immense Titan is about to change everything.

Attack on Titan is a breakout hit in Japan, where the first five volumes of the series have sold over 5.5 million copies in just 18 months. The series has won multiple manga awards, including Best Shonen Manga of 2010. The first volume releases in June 2012.

Genshiken Omnibus
Welcome to the world of the Genshiken, home of the true otaku – the Japanese term for ubergeek. This is the story of a group of friends who are all members of the most hardcore anime and manga fan club in all of Tokyo – and the girls who love them. Genshiken was very popular during its initial release several years ago, and this edition collects the first three volumes in May 2012.

Kitchen Princess Omnibus
Najika has always known how to cook. She understands food, and how it touches people’s hearts. But she herself has always been looking for more. When she was a child, she met a boy who touched her heart, and now Najika has set out to find this boy. The only clue she has is a silver spoon that leads to the prestigious Seika Academy. Fitting in at Seika will be a challenge. Every kid in Najika’s class has a special talent, and the girls at the school think Najika’s not worthy. But Sora and Daichi, two popular brothers who barely speak to each other, recognize Najika’s cooking for what it is — magical. Is either boy Najika’s mysterious prince? Find out by starting with this three-volume collection of one of Kodansha’s most popular shojo series in June 2012.

Read more…

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Categories: Licensing, Press Releases
Tags: Attack on Titan, Kodansha Comics, Manga, Negima, NYCC, Omnibus

NYAF 2011: Vertical Inc

By Lissa Pattillo on Saturday, October 15, 2011

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Vertical Inc and a logo edit of mine that completely defeats the point of the original!

The second big manga panel of NYCC/NYAF was Vertical Inc‘s which happened Friday night. It was one of the most anticipated manga related events as the company’s marketing director, Ed Chavez, paved the way to it with teasing hints about new titles they’d be revealing. The panel was run by Ed and the company’s editorial director, Yani Mentzas. Their signature Chi plushie was also present, always offering the audience a well worn smile.

A powerpoint presentation was used for the panel to showcase Vertical’s current and upcoming volumes. Ed noted he’d made the same presentation multiple times this convention season so he’d be going through them pretty quick. While that may have been the case, he still had something interesting to add about almost every one. There’s a lot of info here so I’m going to stick with a more list-style format for this panel write-up.

Oct 15 Note: A few cover images will be added to this post after the con ends so check back if curious!

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Categories: Licensing
Tags: 7 Billion Needles, Black Jack, Conventions, Manga, NYAF 2011, NYCC, Osamu Tezuka, Vertical Inc

NYAF 2011: Yen Press

By Lissa Pattillo on Saturday, October 15, 2011

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New York Comic Con/New York Anime Fest is in full swing this weekend and the majority of their manga-related panels were on Friday. Publishers haven’t disappointed with a bunch of new licenses for the last big con of the year. Yen Press’s panel was up first with some new adaptations and new manga licenses, along with some really exciting news for fans of digital manga to top it all off and a good Q&A sesssion.

It was a lengthy panel with lots to share so you can see the complete post under the cut (or below depending on how you’re reading this).

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Categories: Licensing, News
Tags: Alice in the Country of..., Conventions, Global Manga, Manga, Manhwa, NYAF 2011, Yen Press

Otaku USA: On The Shelf – October 12, 2011

By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, October 12, 2011

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Conventions are generally my time to dig through boxes of vendors’ manga to find those older missed titles but that doesn’t mean I skip a beat on the new titles out! My most recent On The Shelf article is up at Otaku USA with this week’s new releases.

I was really happy to see the new volume of March Story is out from Viz Media. It’s not a series that seems to be on many people’s radar but I really enjoyed the first two. They can get pretty gruesome but my interest in the characters and gorgeous imagery outweighed the sometimes overly-heavy violence elements easily.

Seeing the release dates come up for Digital Manga‘s big pile of boys’ love titles was the real kicker for me though. Rabbit Man, Tiger Man; A Strange & Mystifying Story; and Kizuna are three of my favourite boys’ love series. I hope I can find copies of these new books at NYAF this weekend!

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Categories: On The Shelf
Tags: Bandai, Boys' Love/Yaoi, DMP, June, Manga, Otaku USA, Viz Media

NYAF 2011: Panels and Exhibitors for the Manga Inclined

By Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, October 11, 2011

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The year’s last big pop-culture event is upon us this week – only two days left until the start of New York Comic Con. Also a combined part of the event is New York Anime Fest, offering up an assortment of anime and manga related content for con-goers. I’ll be flying to New York on Thursday for the weekend event and like many others I’ve been compiling the list of events I’m making sure I don’t miss!

There’s a variety of manga publishers present this year: Vertical Inc, Kodansha Comics, Viz Media, Yen Press, Bandai Entertainment and Dark Horse. That’s a lot of opportunity for exciting news and new titles. I’m already clamouring to try and be one of the lucky few who can get an early copy of Vertical Inc’s release of Princess Knight and hear the big news from Viz Media that’s been hinted at by Shonen Jump Group’s deputy director, Sasaki Hisashi, who will be in attendance.

“Going to NYCC! Wait for the big announcement VIZ &we make there!”

Ed Sizemore of Manga Out Loud and MangaWorthReading has posted about which panels he’s going to and exhibitors he’ll be visiting. He’s one of several manga bloggers attending the event (a fair number of those in Kuriousity’s blog roll will be there!) and gives short but convincing reasons for adding the times and places he lists to your own NYCC planner.

You can see the full list of guests, exhibitors and events on the NYAF website and I’ve included the specifically manga-related panel details under the cut of this post. They include some links to learn more about who’s bringing the manga news to NYAF this year.

I’ll be attending these events and writing about them here on Kuriousity throughout the weekend. If curious, you can see my coverage of last year’s event in the Kuriousity archives.

Two days left now… see you there!

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Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: Bandai, Conventions, Dark Horse, Kodansha Comics, Manga, NYAF 2011, NYCC, Vertical Inc, Viz Media, Yen Press

PR: Good-bye Geist – GEN Manga Announces Release of GEN 6

By Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, October 11, 2011

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Good-bye Geist: A new story for America’s #1 Source for Original Doujin Manga

GEN Manga Entertainment, Inc. Announces the Release of GEN 6
GEN 6 will be available on Oct 11th, 2011

NEW YORK, NY – GEN Manga Entertainment, Inc. announces the upcoming release ofGEN 6. GEN 6 (ISBN: 978-0-9836134-4-2, Trade Paper, 160 pages, black and white) will be available on Oct 11th, 2011 (www.genmanga.com).

Good-bye Geist, the newest story for the leading edge magazine GEN, presents a newmystery that is engulfing the face of Yuki’s high school. And Yuki is caught in the middle. As she battles the exhausting crowds of her daily commute she, like many other young girls in Japan, is sexually violated. All the while, another young boy is secretly filming herand someone is brutally slaughtering cats. What does it all mean? Enigma spins into ever darkening chasms in the newest edition to GEN.

With the newest edition to the underground anthology, GEN Manga Entertainment also meets fan demand with the release of dual single and spread version PDFs available for download. Not only can readers still download and keep original manga on their computer desktops but they can also choose how they want to read it! Single page viewing will now make it easier for fans to read their favorite manga on their favorite reading devices.

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Manga