BookCloseOuts is a site that’s long been a source of getting Tokyopop books for super cheap (of which there are still lots to choose from). Thanks to librarian and fellow manga blogger, Tagnognat, we’ve learned that BookCloseOuts has now added a couple pages of Yen Press titles to their offerings as well.
There’s a fairly good range of titles there, from the Korean-shonen Croquis Pop to the cute 4-koma, Hidamari Sketch. I’d also personally recommend the title History of the West Wing – a one-shot book with gorgeous full colour artwork. The books are listed at 65% off which puts their prices down to a very attractive $3.99.
RightStuf is bringing manga fans more snazzy-savings this week, this time with all Yen Press titles. From now until June 14th, all Yen Press’s titles are 30% off their already listed prices! This means a nice chunk off every book so snatch ‘em up while the price is good.
Lots of great new titles have come out recently such as Kobato (Vol. 01-02) and My Girlfriend’s A Geek (Vol. 01). The second volume of the popular Black Butler is out as well, along with a slew of other continuing favourites. And if you haven’t picked up Yen Press’s re-release of Yotsuba&! and their March release of the incredibly charming, Bunny Drop then by all purchasing means go out and do so, you won’t be disappointed.
I don’t know about you guys but I’m always on the look out for deals and sales that help me keep filling the shelves without breaking the bank. There’re always amazing sales going on somewhere, whether it’s your local shops or an online vendor. A sale doesn’t help if you don’t know about it however so I’m from here on out I’m going to do what I can to spread the frugal-love and let you guys know about some great sales you can currently take advantage of.
This morning RightStuf posted it’s newest deal (they change them on a fairly consistent weekly schedule): at least 33% off all listed Dark Horse releases! For books that often range on the highside of pricing, this is a good time to pick up some favourites at a price you won’t find everyday. Plus it’s far easier than one may think to buy enough to reach those free-shipping limits… (dangerously so!).
There’re pages and pages of books to choose from, ranging from the brutally-fantastic Berserk to the classic genre-inspiring Astro Boy and something somewhat inbetween with the newest volume of the wonderfully creepy Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service. You can also sneak in a pre-order for the upcoming CLAMP omnibus collection of Magic Knight Rayearth and save yourself $6. Along with lots of manga volumes, there’re also some art books hidden in there as well (including the upcoming Blade of the Immortal).
Manhwa-ga: Ryu Ryang
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: February 2010
Synopsis: “Ji-Hae remains at Ja-Yun’s side as he recovers from the riding accident. She can hardly believe he would risk his life just to save her, but when the flower in her chest flushes with color, it seems to confirm her hopes—Ja-Yun likes her?! Unfortunately, the blooming flower’s scent has aroused the interest of some of the other Nang-Do, and she must tread carefully or risk exposure. Outside the walls of Nang-Meun, dissenters have begun to plot against the queen. With her father and Bub-Min spearheading the investigation, it’s only a matter of time before Ji-Hae is drawn into the political turmoil…”
The character of Ji-Hae is becoming a consistently more tolerable character come this third volume of Sarasah. She hasn’t reached a point of being actually all that likeable yet but she’s already come a long way from the selfish obsessive-stalker that volume one had her so eloquently painted as. Political intrigue and a healthy dose of budding character drama goes a long way in distracting both her and readers from the shallow plot that originally fuelled this out-of-time manhwa series.
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Manga-ka: GooGoo Gong
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: February 2010
Synopsis: “Jae-Gyu and Whie-Hwan’s romantic charade is put to the test at President Ko’s engagement party. Jae-Gyu slips away while Whie-Hwan falters before his former girlfriend, Hae-Mee, who seems eager to reignite the flame despite her engagement. But what does Whie-Hwan want? If it’s Jae-Gyu, he’d better hurry. Accosted by Sung-Jun from the slave auction, Jae-Gyu’s put in a frantic call to Hee-Do, and the rock star is already on his way to snatch her out of danger…and out of Whie-Hwan’s life as well!”
After the previous volumes’ shenanigans of pretend relationships, unwanted drunken encounters and mandatory love triangles, it seems volume three brings us more of the same, including a return of the previously introduced scuzzy antagonist. A fluffy, light read with occasionally surprising silliness and some mild dark moments, Sugarholic is a manwha that floats between shojo and josei with it’s older yet naïve 20 year old lead, Jae-Gyu. For a book that could be an outright mess given it’s subject matter, Sugarholic somehow finds a way to entertain its readers and rise above its cliché subject matter. That said, this volume doesn’t fare as well as it could.
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Viz Media’s recent press release about the manga series Bakuman got me thinking – there are a bunch of manga series out there about making manga. What a fun concept! I know I always love it, it’s such a neat experience – both the slight irony of it and the educational factor too.
I’ve learned a lot about making comics in general from manga – neat little so-thats-how-they-do-its – and while ideas and inspiration are always a given when reading something, having someone else’s trials, experiences and knowledge laid out for you in the very format they’re in relation to is just a good combination.
So I got to thinking about the different series that are about making manga – so I compiled a list. Have another licensed title to add? By all means let me know in the comments so I can check it out!
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Manga-ka: JinJun Park
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: March 2010
Synopsis: “Now that the terror of their first meeting has subsided, Irel begins to wonder if his fear of Lamia is unfounded. Despite her troubling diet, she doesn’t seem to relish gnawing Irel’s flesh any more than he does. Both share a common goal: to uncover the mysteries surrounding the blood of Christ. If they work together, they might be able to find the answers they seek. But traveling as a pair might only serve to make them a bigger target for even greater terrors…”
Having found some enjoyment in the mildly controversial first volume, I quickly downed the second instalment of Park’s religious zombie action manwha. It continues to be a fairly light, fast-paced comic, but continues to insert visually striking tidbits that help it stand out from other similar fare. Slick and occasionally startling, the excellent art and mild amounts of gore bring Raiders above what you might expect.
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Manhwa-ga: JinJun Park
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: December 2009
Synopsis: “Irel Clark is a professor’s assistant whose latest find is the “Holy Grail” for members of his profession- literally! But when it turns out that some decidedly unholy individuals are also after the blood of Christ, Irel must drink from the chrism bottle he’s recovered to save his own life. Immortality leaves something to be desired, though, when un-dead cannibals walk the earth in constant need of human flesh, and Irel’s newly immortal body is nothing short of an all-you-can-eat buffet!”
After reading some of Yen Press’s shoujo manhwa output, I was pleased to encounter a new series with a strong focus on extensive property damage and undead minions in place of the usual fluff. Full of violence, action, and gore, Raiders offers us some excellent manhwa action. Although, as indicated in the synopsis, it goes for some wackier subject matter than most, and may offend some.
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Manhwa-ga: YoungHee Lee
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: March 2010
Synopsis: “While Jay struggles with old wounds and new worries at the crossroads of his relationship with Hyun-Ho, Nan-Woo heads out on a journey to track down her wayward boyfriend, Seung-Ha, and bring his punk behind back home! Is she only setting herself up for another rejection?! Or will her characteristic pigheadedness win out after all?! It’s the end of the road for this wacky cast of characters and their mixed-up affairs of the heart in the final volume of You’re So Cool!”
The volume takes off running with Nan-Woo hunting down Seung-Ha who’s gone missing. This is to no worry by his family whose fairly substantial page-time drives home his often-emphasized cold home-life. But Nan-Woo refuses to be deterred by their apparent lack of caring and heads out to find Seung-Ha on her own. Seung-Ha, meanwhile, is battling his own internal demons via the often-used child form embodiment of his own angst.
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Author: Stephanie Meyer
Manhwa-ga: Young Kim
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: March 2010
Synopsis: “When Isabella Swan moves to the gloomy town of Forks and meets the mysterious, alluring Edward Cullen, her life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. With his porcelain skin, golden eyes, mesmerizing voice, and supernatural gifts, Edward is both irresistible and impenetrable. Up until now, he has managed to keep his true identity hidden, but Bella is determined to uncover his dark secret…”
Twilight: a multi-million dollar investment in the frothing hearts of fan girls around the world. Many have read the original novel series and infinitely more have at least heard of it. With the live-action films already taking their crack at adapting these popular novels, it’s now the comic world’s time to have a go with Stephanie Meyer holding tight on the reigns.
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Manhwa-ga: SangEun Lee
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: February 2010
Synopsis: “Hee-So’s stuck with Sae-Bom on cooking duty at the Scout’s joint volunteer outing at a local orphanage, ruining her chances of showing off in front of Won-Hun! And Sae-Bom’s no help either, ‘cose she’s too busy making lunch for her dearest Whie-Young! Suddenly, it occurs to Hee-So that making lunch of Won-Jun might not be such a bad idea. But when the two girls go make their special deliveries, a dangerous accident threatens both their lives. And in the heat of the moment, Won-Jun, who witnesses the accident, takes a most unexpected course of action. Has he gone and irreparably crushed Hee-So’s dreams? Will Whie-Young be able to pick up the pieces?”
Love-triangles are nothing new to any story containing a sliver of romantic drama. Two boys love the same girl? Two girls love the same boy? No biggie. But 13th Boy pulls off the far lesser utilized love-cluster – the dreaded love-square. If you thought things were already looking shaky enough for Hee-So’s love life, wait until you see it all laid bare in this third volume.
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Manhwa-ga: Lee YoungYou
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: December 2009
Synopsis: “When Hee-Ju’s hostage negotiations for Ya-Ho with Ha-Eun, Yumei and Mi-Woo go south, the tragic result of his failed attempts leads to heartbreak for Myung-Ee and company. And to make matters worse, those on Earth aren’t the only ones on the move. The leader of the Moon Foxes is about to make a trip to the Blu Planet and mete out heavenly punishment to those who get in his way… that is, if he can stay awake long enough!”
Tears are shed, pasts are hinted at, the supposedly dead come back to life and foxes continue to hunt rabbits and rabbits continue to hunt foxes. While a reread of previous books allows a semblance of clarity to the book’s still-growing cast and multi-faction plot, it leaves one to question if this should be necessary every time a new book comes out.
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Manga-ka: GooGoo Gong
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: November 2009
Synopsis: “Thrust in the middle of a family feud, Jae-Gyu reluctantly accepts Whie-Hwan’s proposal. For the next month, she’s agreed to pose as his live-in girlfriend and obey his every command! It’s been less than a week since she moved to Seoul, and already she’s in way over her head! And small-town life has done little to prepare her for the dark deeds of city nightlife. When Jae-Gyu’s ignorance lands her in a roomful of eager playboys with money to burn, will it be her millionaire “boyfriend” or her rock star admirer who comes to the rescue?”
Taking the path of so many girls’ comics before it, Sugarholic presents us with yet more complicated shenanigans that lead to two characters faking a relationship. Does it manage to overcome it’s clichéd plot? Fortunately GooGoo Gong does manage to squeeze some originality into this work, a fairly standard Korean shojo comic.
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Manhwa-ga: KookHwa Huh/SuJin Kim
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: December 2009
Synopsis: “Now that she has discovered Si-Joon’s secret fiancée, Doe-Doe will stop at nothing to rip the masked girl away from Si-Joon, whom she has already claimed as her own. But Mu-Yeon’s affection for Si-Joon is not something to be trifled with, especially when dark spiritual forces are involved. As memories of his past life with Mu-Yeon resurface, the time when Si-Joon will have to face the mystery of the pig bride head-on is drawing near. But will he be prepared when the moment comes?”
Past-live dream exposés, the feeling of sinister eyes upon him and the clock ticking ever closer, Si-Joon has more than a few things on his mind. But with his life (or is it his chastity?) at risk at the hands of an ‘assassin’ on top of that, and his constant refusal of Mu-Yeon’s advances, the Pig Bride needs to turn to some different tactics with only a day left to lift her curse and have Si-Joon finally confess his feelings of love (whether they exist or not).
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Manhwa-ga: JiUn Yun
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: December 2009
Synopsis: “Baek-On and Ho-Yeon are exorcists-for-hire, traveling throughout the country in search of grudges and ghosts. Each encounter reveals a story of tragedy and loss, sentiments they are all too familiar with themselves. But sometimes the violence of the most murderous spirits is nothing compared to the cruelty of the living.”
A new story from the mind of JiUn Yun, the author and artist for Cynical Orange, Time and Again is a collection of ghost stories she’s based off poems and tales from primarily Chinese literature. There are five stories in total and they’re all strung together by either the presence or mention of one Yoo Ju – a young and talented, though also arrogant and lazy, exorcist.
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