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Posts Tagged Yen Press

Review: B.Ichi (Vol. 04)

Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo


Manga-ka: Atsushi Ohkubo
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: September 2009

Synopsis: “Locked in a deadly battle with the King of Spin, Yohei must rely on his wits and the hidden powers of his Law-Abiding Silver Gun to stay alive, but NoFix has a few hidden tricks of his own. With the Fear Factory crumbling around them, Shotaro unleashes his true, fearsome power to save his friend. But it’s going to take more than the power of the Kyokotsu to stop the King of Spin NoFix and his lust to kill! Amidst the mayhem, the mysterious Emine and his henchmen lurk in the shadows… Will Shotaro finally meet up with his childhood friend? Find out in the final volume of Atsushi Ohkubo’s B. Ichi!”

This fourth volume of B.Ichi was easily the strongest of the series. I cared about what the characters were doing, how they were doing it, and perhaps most importantly, what they were going to do next. Unfortunately you can then imagine my disappoint in realizing that this is in fact the final volume of the series. Alas, but least it went out with a bang.

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Review: Higurashi When They Cry – Cotton Drifting Arc (Vol. 01)


Author: Ryukishi07
Manga-ka: Yutori Houjyou
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: May 2009

Synopsis: “You’ve already met Keiichi Maebara and his mischievous friends in the Abducted by Demons Arc. But Oyashiro-sama’s curse is poised to strike anew in Hinamizawa village. When Keiichi spots tomboy Mion working at a maid café, he can hardly believe his eyes! But it’s not Mion after all — it’s her identical twin sister, Shion. Keiichi’s never heard of this “twin sister” before and suspects it’s just another one of Mion’s pranks. But through Shion, Keiichi is able to see a quieter, more feminine side of his best friend, even if it is all an act. As Keiichi spends more time with Shion, however, Rena grows more accusatory…”

When I first started reading this volume, I couldn’t help but think I’d read it before. It has all the same characters from the Abducted by Demons Arc it just happens that most of the story takes place before the beginning of that arc. In this one, there are only a few hints toward the eerie truth of the town, and honestly they aren’t all that big.

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Review: Tale of the Waning Moon (Vol. 01)

Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo


Manga-ka: Hyouta Fujiyama
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Mature (18+)
Release Date: September 2009

Synopsis: “After a night of serious boozing, a jilted young man named Ryuka speaks his wish for true love atop a starlit hill. His words reach the ears of Ixto, the spirit of the last quarter moon, who decides to grant Ryuka’s wish. Unfortunately for Ryuka, Ixto’s handpicked selections to be the young man’s lover are all men themselves! Critically-acclaimed boys’ love mangaka Hyouta Fujiyama lends her copious talents to this wacky, role-playing fantasy-romance that will tickle your funny bone and tug at your heart!”

Heartbroken and rejected, Ryuka spends a lonely evening drowning in alcohol to leave his pain behind him. Walking atop the ‘Wishing Hill’ to sober up, he instead finds his deepest wish heard by an on-duty spirit, Ixto. Ixto comes down to Earth and offers to Ryuka a selection of hand-chosen young men to soothe his aching heart, but Ryuka’s not gay! Or at least not yet, as Ixto takes it upon himself to console the man, even if he doesn’t want it, and puts in a place a powerful magical spell that sets Ryuka on a road of choose-your-own-adventure antics of bandits, cat boys and lusty-maybe-lovers.

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Review: Dystopia

Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo


Author/Artist: Judith Park
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: August 2009

Synopsis: “Dionne is best friends with her older brother, Lyon. Even though things don’t always run smoothly in their family, nothing in the world can shake them as long as they can rely on one another! But one day, an unexpected misfortune brings their seemingly bright world into disarray… and Dionne fears she may never be understood and loved again. When her parents offer their shocking solution, her emotions only become more tangled. Will Dionne ever be able to recover from this tragedy?”

Lyon is Dionne’s whole world, the perfect big brother and her only true escape from the loneliness she feels at the neglect of her parents. When a tragedy strikes that takes him away, both she and her best friend, who just recently began dating Lyon, must deal with the loss. But, on top of that, Dionne must learn to accept something else… Lyon’s never-before-known clone! Dun dun duuuun…

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Review: Welcome to Wakaba-Soh (Vol. 01)


Manga-ka: Chaco Abeno
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: June 2009

Synopsis: “In the throes of his first love, Kentarou Sawai can’t even count on beginner’s luck to get him closer to Karen Toguin, the girl of his dreams. When he spontaneously enrolls in Karen’s high school just to be closer to her, his hopes are crushed when it turns out she’s on a leave of absence! Now poor, luckless Kentarou is stuck in a dorm full of girls who aren’t Karen and insist on pushing Kentarou to the brink of insanity! Can Kentarou hold on to his love for Karen, or will his new living experience make him swear off all women for good?!”

I think the first thing that really grabbed my attention about this book was the art. It’s fairly standard to the manga style, but it’s incredibly clean and crisp, which is always nice to see. The book is laid out very nicely, with each episodic chapter easy to read. Sadly, though, there isn’t a whole lot of plot to drive this story. It’s based on stereotypical gimmicks and situations that are, again, standard in the genre.

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Review: Zombie Loan (Vol. 06)


Manga-ka: Peach-Pit
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: June 2009

Synopsis: “Z-Loan’s forced to duke it out with A-Loan to see who can earn ten million yen first! But just as the challenge gets underway, the illegal zombies are nowhere to be found! Just what is going on!? Michiru hones her Shinigami Eyes under Zarame’s tutelage as faces from the past make sudden appearances, with some even joining the team! When the illegal zombies finally show up on school grounds, A-Loan and Z-Loan find themselves locked in and fighting side by side. Can they actually cooperate with one another? And who’ll get the money first!?”

The story takes an interesting turn here in the sixth volume of Zombie Loan, as we discover that Z-Loan now has some competition which opened up right across the street: A-Loan! And to make matters worse, with the new trio of legal zombies out there collecting bounties, they are presented with a most alarming challenge. If they aren’t able to raise ten million yen by the end of the month, the entire Z-Loan will go under.

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Review: Yotsuba&! (Vol. 06)

Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo


Manga-ka: Kiyohiko Azuma
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: All Ages
Release Date: September 2009

Synopsis: “Yotsuba’s getting a biiiiike, Yotsuba’s getting a biiiiiike!! Didja know the wheels of a bike go round and round and round and round and round and round and round and round and round and round and round and round and roun — oh, Yotsuba’s getting dizzy…whoooooa…”

Yotsuba’s Father sums up the key reason that readers adore Yotsuba&!: “I love the way she reacts to stuff like this.” And well you should, Kowai (well, most of the time anyway). In this volume the rambunctious little girl gets her first bike, and as if she couldn’t already explore the world well enough on two feet, wait until you see her on two wheels. After what easily felt like forever, the next and long awaited volume of Yotsuba&! is finally in the hands of English readers!

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Review: With the Light (Vol. 01)

Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo


Manga-ka: Keiko Tobe
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: September 2007

Synopsis: “Born during the sunrise, the Azumas’ newborn son is named Hikaru, which means “light”. But during one play date, his mother notices that her son is slightly different from the other children. In the alternately heart-warming and bittersweet tale, a young mother tries to cope with both the overwhelming discovery of her child’s autism and the trials of raising him while keeping her family together. This is a story that resonates not only for those whose families have been affected by autism, but also for all past, present, and future parents.”

Newlyweds and expectant parents, a couple sees a bright future ahead when their first child is born. However it soon becomes evident that their child, Hikaru, isn’t progressing as others his age do. Between bouncing between doctors and dealing with the stressful rift it creates in their lives, their journey coping with Hikaru’s diagnosis of autism begins in this first volume of the most educational and heart-warming series in Yen Press’s library of titles.

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Review: The Antique Gift Shop (Vol. 08)

Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo


Manhwa-ga: Lee Eun
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: July 2009

Synopsis: “When a Nepalese goddess appears at the Antique Gift Shop, Bun-Nyuh is taken in by the beautiful woman and her knack for sales. Sensing that her freedom from the antiques is near as the money rolls in, Bun-Nyuh leaves the goddess in charge and begins planning for her life away from the shop, despite Mr. Yang’s protests. But the goddess’s sales come with strings attached, and those strings will pull Bun-Nyuh back to the heart of the shop where a new darkness awaits…”

Continuing as a manhwa-source for the supernatural, and artistically home to characters who’re too distractingly gorgeous to this reader for their own good, The Antique Gift Shop takes a pleasantly linear turn here in the eighth volume as the shop sees an unfortunate shift in staff and Bun-Nyuh finds herself faced with an uncertain new perspective of her life.

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Del Rey With Kodansha Listings, Digital Manga Picks Up DQ License

Makoto Tateno's Premonition, Yotsuba and Akira

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!


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