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Tokyopop Officially Orders Up New Series – Neko Ramen

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Monday, March 1, 2010

During their webinar this evening, Tokyopop officially announced their acquisition of Kenji Sonishi’s Neko Ramen. The first volume of the English edition, Neko Ramen: Order Up!, was initially spotted on Amazon this past November.

Coming on the heels of a lengthy bout of pre-announcement hints and related media via their newsletters, Tokyopop is launching Neko Ramen with a hefty campaign including its own website, contests and Facebook page complete with the series’ trailer. Tokyopop has also already posted several preview strips on its website with future comics strips accessible to those who subscribe to their weekly newsletter.

The first of the currently-three Neko Ramen books (the series is still on-going) is scheduled for June 2010 and will be priced at $10.99/US. The books are rated for youth so readers young and old can enjoy some hairballs in this 4-koma style series about a cat who runs a ramen shop.

Along with news about Neko Ramen, Tokyopop staffers confirmed they’ll be speeding up Gakuen Alice to bi-monthly starting in June of this year. They also responded with a “no comment” to questions regarding their recent Twitter-teases about the license for the Hetalia 4-koma series.

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Categories: Licensing
Tags: Manga, Tokyopop

Super Channel Adds Naoki Urasawa’s Monster to Schedule

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Saturday, February 27, 2010

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In a press release this week, Canadian television station Super Channel announced that they’ll be played the anime series of Naoki Urasawa’s Monster. The first episode of the 74 episode series will play on March 15 at 10pm and continue playing each Monday evening at the same time. The episodes will be available on both Super Channel’s standard channel and in high definition. (Source: AnimeNewsNetwork)

Super Channel is a specialty channel available through most digital cable services across the country. Along with the pay-to-view channel, they also provide a subscription feature that allows viewers to watch episodes and movies previously played on the channel at their leisure. This also isn’t the first time Super Channel has added anime to its line-up. It currently has Descendants of Darkness and Gurren Lagann on its programming schedule.

After last week’s disheartening news regarding YTV’s removal of Bleach and Naruto, it’s great to see that Canadian TV still has room for anime on its digital-waves. Though I haven’t seen the Monster anime myself, I have read the manga and it was fantastic so I look forward to the opportunity to watch the series on a weekly basis on Super Channel.

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Categories: News
Tags: Anime, Canada

Bandai Entertainment Launches Manga Website

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, February 16, 2010

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Announced via their Twitter account this afternoon, Bandai Entertainment has officially launched a website dedicated solely to their manga releases: Manga Bandai Entertainment.

“It’s long overdue, but our plan is to have this be the destination on the latest news and release information for our publishing lineup. …And there’s going to be plenty more to talk about, so check back for news updates and maybe even some surprise previews!”

Thus far the site has most of the key things that make me a happy web-surfing manga consumer, such as detailed individual volume information and manga previews. However the site itself is still having some growing pains that will cause visitors a few visual hiccups here and there. But not a bad start and it’s great to see Bandai giving their books some extra attention.

One thing a clear catelouge of their books has shown me however is that I’ve yet to read anything they’ve released. So in honour of their newly launched manga-centric site, I’m looking for reader suggestions: what is your recommendation for a Bandai manga series worth picking up? Gurren Lagann? Eureka Seven? The doey-eyed Lucky Star? Let me know what you think and I’ll head out on the hunt for my first Bandai Entertainment read!

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Categories: News
Tags: Bandai, Manga

Animinitime Announces Midnight Showing of Cowboy Bebop Movie

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Saturday, February 13, 2010

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Click here for full promotional poster

A little plugging for my hometown event – as a part of our Animinitime convention in Halifax, Nova Scotia, we’re excited to announce that we’re now selling tickets for a special midnight showing of Cowboy Bebop The Movie: Knockin’ On Heavens’ Door.

The movie will be played on the big screen at downtown’s Parklane Theatres on the evening of April 24. The showing falls between the two events planned for that weekend – one is a picnic the day before while the convention itself follows the day after. Each ticket is on sale for $5 (taxes included). You can currently buy tickets for the movie event at Strange Adventures and upcoming Anime@Large (a local anime club) events.

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Categories: News
Tags: Anime, Canada, Movies

YTV Removes Naruto and Bleach From Schedule and Website

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, February 11, 2010

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According to YTV’s website, Canadians will no longer have episodes – new or old – of Naruto and Bleach to look forward to on cable TV. Both anime series have been removed not only from the channel’s daily schedule but also entirely from their show database. (Source: AnimeNewsNetwork)

Their website section AnimeMaster, where information and blog-style posts were shared from their resident of the same name has also been removed. Both these changes came without advance warning from the station.

YTV has seen a distinct drop in the amount of animated shows it plays in recent years, in favour of playing a line-up of predomiantly live-action comedies and dramas aimed at a younger teen audience. Anime on the station has been in decline for some time and its shaky future on the channel had the final nail in the coffin for most fans when their evening Bionix line-up was moved from its primetime slot on Friday to Saturday mid 2009.

YTV’s OnDemand service, a special feature available on digital cable stations, has also removed episodes of Naruto and Pokemon while limiting the available episodes of Nickelodeon’s Avatar the Last Airbender.

Canadian television in general is a far cry for anime from what it was only five years ago when there were over 15 different anime series playing on television at a time. This included the beginning of YTV’s Bionix line-up which at the time played weekly episodes of many newly English broadcasting series including Inu-Yasha, Naruto, Fullmetal Alchemist, Witch Hunter Robin, Gundam Seed and Bleach. At one point the station was even in talks over an anime-only channel, which though approved at the time, was never launched.

Anime currently still playing on YTV is Dinosaur King, Pokemon and the more recently added Pretty Cure. Teletoon, another Canadian station, currently plays episodes of Bakugan and Domo-kun and Friends. Some digital cable users in Canada also have access to the subscription-based AnimeNetwork service which allows subscribers to watch weekly updated lists of anime series at their leisure.

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Categories: News
Tags: Anime, Canada, Fullmetal Alchemist

Yen Press Adds Yoshinaga and Haruhi to 2010 Line-Up

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, February 4, 2010

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Yen Press has officially announced a handful of new 2010 titles on their website this week, including a Fumi Yoshinaga title (yay!) and another Haruhi Suzumiya property:

The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-Chan
“The first volume of the highly anticipated yon koma featuring all new adventures from Haruhi and the rest of the S.O.S. Brigade will debut in October 2010 to the cheers of Haruhi fans everywhere!”

K-ON – kakifly
“The four girls who make up their high school music club have set Japan on fire, and their fame is only going to grow when they take the stage for the first time in the states this fall!”

Book Girl and the Suicidal Mime – Mizuki Nomura
“BOOK GIRL AND THE SUICIDAL MIME is the story of Konoha Inoue, a gifted writer who’s lost his passion, who’s inducted into his school’s literature club by it’s only other member, the beautiful Touko Amano – a book goblin who literally devours the printed word! Trust us, you’ll want to eat this one up!”

Not Love But Delicious Food – Fumi Yoshinaga
“Yoshinaga Fumi fans are in for a rare delicacy in November 2010 when Yen publishes NOT LOVE BUT DELICIOUS FOODS, a manga chronicling Y-Naga’s love of food and eateries in Japan. There are some hardcore Yoshinaga Fumi fans on staff at Yen Press, and they are salivating in anticipation of this book’s release!”

Golidlocks and the Seven Squat Bears – Émile Bravo
“Readers young and old alike will delight in the misadventures of these dwarf bruins as they attempt to rid their home of the giant lady who’s fallen asleep in their beds. Expect to see lots of cameo appearances by some of your favorite fairy tale figures from your youth!”

Also, a thank you to all of my readers who e-mailed me regarding these new titles when they popped up on Amazon a couple weeks ago – you’re super eagle-eyed and very considerate! Though I had found the titles when they initially went live on retail sites I chose not to post about them by request from the publisher. Your e-mails were much appreciated and I hope noone feels slighted by the delay in the news posting. It’s more fun to hear from the publisher directly, officially and confirmed I think :)

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Categories: Licensing
Tags: Fumi Yoshinaga, Manga, Yen Press

Manga Stuff Sunday – Contests and Continuations

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, January 24, 2010

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A bunch of interesting news and previews this past week – what better way to spend a lazy Sunday than getting caught up on a bunch of them! From contests to continuations, there should be a little something for everyone in this lengthy round-up of the week’s what-have-yous:

RightStuf’s most recent sale is on Tokyopop books, including their boys’ love imprint, BLU. Until February 1st, you’ll save at least 33% on each book. Perfect time to get caught up some series and get your hands on the recent ones – which include lots of fantastic new licenses including Alice in the Country of Hearts and Deadman Wonderland.

More information about Yen Press’s upcoming adaptation of Twilight has been released. The book will be a hardcover edition costing $19.99. It’s already one of the top-selling books on Amazon right now! Entertainment Weekly has an image of the cover and an interior preview. On a related note, Shannon Garrity has a great – and amusing – post comparing Twilight with most modern-day shoujo manga.

Fans of the series rejoice – Descendants of Darkness (Yami no Matsuei) is returning! After an eight year hiatus the supernatural manga laced with all that glorious homoerotic tension (perhaps biggest understatement of the new year so far) will be returning to publication with the release of its twelth volume in Japan. Viz Media has the English license to the series and has published up to volume eleven, last released in 2006.

DeviantArt is currently holding a contest: Ponyo Make A Splash – Online Banner Creation Contest. They’re looking for ad banners designed for use on the website to promote the upcoming DVD/Blu-Ray release of Studio Ghibli/Disney’s Ponyo. There are four different banner templates for designers to submit banners in. As for the prizes, “…each of the four winners will recieve a $500 Visa gift card, a devWEAR bag of Winner’s choice, a copy of Ponyo on DVD, a devWEAR shirt of Winner’s choice, and a one year Premium Membership to deviantART.”

After the continuation was pushed back to Spring 2010in early 2009, it looks like Yu Watase is finally able to put Fushigi Yuugi‘s prequel series, Genbu Kaiden, back into her busy production schedule! She posts about it over on her personal blog, though no complete translation is yet publicly posted of the entry. Viz Media has released the currently available nine volumes of the series. (via Manga Xanadu)

Lastly, the fairly-silent-in-recent-months publisher, GoComi has posted an update of their status via their forums. There isn’t a lot of specific news but they assure readers that despite some economic problems, they’re still plugging forward and going at it their best. Unfortunately a number of titles have gone on hold. You can read the whole post over there which also includes information of the potential future of their website community, the popularity of 07-Ghost and word about the status of books sold through their online store. (via @danielle_leigh1)

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Categories: Contests, News
Tags: Fushigi Yugi, GoComi, Manga, Tokyopop

Purchase and Win – eManga Draw for Electric Hands

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, January 14, 2010

1 Comment »

Digital Manga announced on their blog yesterday their first giveaway of the new year. From today (Wednesday, January 13) to Tuesday, January 19 – anyone who rents or purchases-to-keep any title on eManga will be entered into a draw to win a copy of Taishi Zaou’s one-shot boys’ love story, Electric Hands.

“In most ways, Fujino is a typical high school student; his mind wanders during class, and he often finds himself lost in a daydream. But the odd thing about Fujino is that his daydreams are starting to revolve around a peculiar fetish for hands – specifically, the sleek, beautiful hands of his classmate and tutor, Takie. Hours spent admiring an attractive set of appendages is one thing, but Fujino is in for the shock of his life when a brush with Takie’s hands gives him a literal jolt. What makes a current pass from Takie through every part of Fujino’s body? How will Fujino’s fellow students react when each accidental contact sends him skittering across the room?!”

Along with the book, the winner will also receive a shikishi/shitajiki pencilboard signed by Taishi Zaou herself! The winner of the draw will be announced the following day.

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Categories: Contests
Tags: Boys' Love/Yaoi, DMP, Doki Doki, Manga

Vertical Licenses Osamu Tezuka’s Ayako

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, January 13, 2010

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Vertical Inc is adding another Osamu Tezuka title to their growing catalog, this time with their license of, Ayako.

Originally published in 1972, ANN has the following synopsis:

“Jiro Tenge, the second son of what used to be an influential Japanese family, returns home after being a POW in an American camp during the Second World War. He finds his family corrupted by the terrible social aftereffects of the war. His elder brother, determined to keep what remains of the family patrimony after the Government’s forced land reallocation, has prostituted his wife to his father to secure his blessing, while other members of Jiro’s family have been drawn into similar corruption, and he himself is being forced to spy for the Americans after being broken as a POW. Now the family’s youngest daughter Ayako will have to bear the brunt of the family’s sins.”

In the past week Vertical has posted several hints on Twitter to eager eyes including “It’s gonna be a whopper! 704 pages. Great female lead. Cover design by P Mendelsund!!”. Though the license was repeatedly said to have an embargo on it, the book never-the-less appeared on Amazon late-Tuesday afternoon with the ~~newly designed cover~~ (the cover is actually for a previously released book, not Ayako – thanks for the correction, calaggie!).

(Editor note: Out of respect for the initial intended-surprise, I personally made the choice to withhold this information until Vertical confirmed it at their recent event Wednesday evening. Vertical representatives have yet to publicly speak about this title online.)

At 704 pages, this release of Ayako is likely a single omnibus collection of the original three books. Ayako is scheduled for tentative release in October 2010.

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Categories: Licensing
Tags: Manga, Vertical Inc

AnimeNewsNetwork’s 2009 Holiday Logo Contest

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, December 16, 2009

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AnimeNewsNetwork has officially announced the start of their 2009 Holiday Logo Contest. The contest is open to “to any and all residents of the planet Earth and neighbour parallel dimensions” and, while potential prizes are not yet listed, they promise a value of at least $500-worth.

Entries must be created to certain size specifications and Nina from their weekly web-comic. I recommend checking out the comic for not only inspiration and reference but some good anime-related laughs as well.

The contest catch however? Only four days until deadline! All entries are due December 20th at midnight (EST). If last year’s prize lot is any indication there, though’s more than enough reason to snap up your art supplies and get crackin’!

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Categories: Contests