TOKYO, JAPAN – September 1 - Animate U.S.A., Inc. is pleased to announce its September release lineup for the Amazon Kindle Store!

Five more Yaoi titles published by Libre Publishing in Japan, including the Kindle Exclusive title “Kiss Ariki – Episode 1″ by Youka Nitta, have been added. Also, Hinako Takanaga, one of the most popular BL artists, has finally arrived in the Kindle Store!

For more information, please visit www.animate-world.com, www.b-boy.jp, and to keep on top of all things about Nitta Youka, nittayouka.com!!

September 2010:
Youka Nitta – “Kiss Ariki – Episode 1″ Kindle Exclusive!!!
Youka Nitta – “Sound of My Voice – Golden Goose Part 3″
Shiuko Kano – “P.B.B. Play Boy Blues – Act 3″
Makoto Tateno – “See You in the School of the Muse Vol.3 (in Japanese)”
Hinako Takanaga – “Awkward Silence -Bukiyou na Silent- Vol.1 (in Japanese)”

“Kiss Ariki – Episode 1″ by Youka Nitta
“You, go to an island with Kiria’s son.”

One day, Tohru is told this by his father, who is the 5th boss of the Suki Clan. A huge war in the Yakuza world is expected in the near future, so he is given an order to hide on the island.

After that, Tohru and Mutsumi Kiria begin their secluded life together, and before they realize it…

“Sound of My Voice – Golden Goose Part 3″ by Youka Nitta
A lifelong dream of fame and fortune has been the driving force of Wataru Jouchi’s entire life. Now, after much self-doubt, he’s decided to fulfill his destiny and become a voice actor　for anime videos.

At first, he is thrilled to discover that his long lost friend, Renji Kazama, is considered a top star in the industry. But Kazama does not seem at all pleased about their unexpected reunion.

Is he simply wary of this newfound competition, or is there another reason why he seems intent on keeping Wataru at arm’s reach?

“P.B.B. – Play Boy Blues – Part 3″ by Shiuko Kano
Selling One’s Body at Japan’s most popular Host Club comes naturally for Junsuke Aki.

In fact, he is the club’s top performer (and earner!) and is easily the most popular Host with the female clientele.

However, his lover, a former Host named Shinobu Hishiya, has forsaken the wild club lifestyle in favor of his new job as a construction worker. Together, they share wild days and passionate nights, making love whatever, wherever, and however they want.

But when jealousy and maｌe pride enter the picture, their blissful, sexy relationship may not be able to handle the strain.

“See You in the School of the Muse Vol.2 (in Japanese)” by Makoto Tateno
The entertainment department at this private school is known as the ‘Muse Class’.

Tadafumi, a student in general studies, has to tutor You, who is a super popular idol even in this class filled with super talented celebrities.
But during their first meeting, You suddenly explodes in anger after being touched in a certain place!

This is the first collection of cute and dramatic love stories with these blessed school boys!

“Awkward Silence -Bukiyou na Silent- Vol.1 (in Japanese)” by Hinako Takanaga
[……!!　……. ……(:D)]
Toono is super quiet and poor at showing his emotions. When Tamiya, his classmate that he has always liked, confesses feelings for him, his heart can’t stop pounding!!
Although it’s really difficult to express, his heart is overflowing with affection.

A superb story of pure love!

About Animate U.S.A., Inc.
From North to South, it’s by far the largest anime store chain in Japan! It’s the go-to place for any anime/manga fan! Character goods from anime, manga, game, comics, art supplies… You name it! All anime/manga-related merchandise is available! Additionally, you can find original Animate goods, specials, etc. Furthermore, we have special events such as autograph sessions, panel discussions, campaigns, and more! Come to Animate filled with ‘Dreams’ and ‘Hope’!!
See http://www.animate.co.jp/ for more information. (Japanese site)

About Libre Publishing Co., Ltd.
The biggest BL publisher in Japan. The company name “Libre Publishing Co., Ltd.” is taken from the Latin base “Lib” which can mean “Book” or “Liberty.” Such is the aim of our company, to be able to share this love of “books” and “freedom” by the unique contents of the works that we offer, for the enjoyment of our readers. See http://www.libre-pub.co.jp/ for more information. (in Japanese)

For more information, please visit www.animate-world.com, www.b-boy.jp, and to keep on top of all things about Nitta Youka, nittayouka.com!!

August 2010:
Nase Yamato – “Pet in Love – Pet on Duty Bonus Story” Kindle Exclusive!!!
Youka Nitta – “Sound of My Voice – Golden Goose Part 2″
Shiuko Kano – “P.B.B. Play Boy Blues – Act 2″
Makoto Tateno – “See You in the School of the Muse Vol.1 (in Japanese)”

“Pet in Love – Pet on Duty Bonus Story” by Nase Yamato

Following the big hit comic “Pet on Duty” comes “Pet in Love”, a story full of hook ups.
Kudou and Mizuki leave the bachelor’s hostel and start living together.
Even though everyday should be happy and their relationship should be going smoothly, why does it seem to Kudou like Mizuki is worrying over something!?

This story is a special e-book release that’s never going to be commercially published in a magazine or manga!!! This pet is in heat!

“Sound of My Voice – Golden Goose Part 2″ by Youka Nitta

A lifelong dream of fame and fortune has been the driving force of Wataru Jouchi’s entire life. Now, after much self-doubt, he’s decided to fulfill his destiny and become a voice actor for anime videos.

At first, he is thrilled to discover that his long lost friend, Renji Kazama, is considered a top star in the industry. But Kazama does not seem at all pleased about their unexpected reunion.

Is he simply wary of this newfound competition, or is there another reason why he seems intent on keeping Wataru at arm’s reach?

“P.B.B. – Play Boy Blues – Part 2″ by Shiuko Kano

Selling One’s B.O.D.Y. at Japan’s most popular Host Club comes naturally for Junsuke Aki.

In fact, he is the club’s top performer (and earner!) and is easily the most popular Host with the female clientele.

However, his lover, a former Host named Shinobu Hishiya, has forsaken the wild club lifestyle in favor of his new job as a construction worker. Together, they share wild days and passionate nights, making love whatever, wherever, and however they want.

But when jealousy and male pride enter the picture, their blissful, sexy relationship may not be able to handle the strain.

“See You in the School of the Muse Vol.1 (in Japanese)” by Makoto Tateno

The entertainment department at this private school is known as the ‘Muse Class’.
Tadafumi, a student in general studies, has to tutor You, who is a super popular idol even in this class filled with super talented celebrities.
But during their first meeting, You suddenly explodes in anger after being touched in a certain place!
This is the first collection of cute and dramatic love stories with these blessed school boys!

About Animate U.S.A., Inc.
From North to South, it’s by far the largest anime store chain in Japan! It’s the go-to place for any anime/manga fan! Character goods from anime, manga, game, comics, art supplies… You name it! All anime/manga-related merchandise is available! Additionally, you can find original Animate goods, specials, etc. Furthermore, we have special events such as autograph sessions, panel discussions, campaigns, and more! Come to Animate filled with ‘Dreams’ and ‘Hope’!!
See http://www.animate.co.jp/ for more information. (Japanese site)

About Libre Publishing Co., Ltd.
The biggest BL publisher in Japan. The company name “Libre Publishing Co., Ltd.” is taken from the Latin base “Lib” which can mean “Book” or “Liberty.” Such is the aim of our company, to be able to share this love of “books” and “freedom” by the unique contents of the works that we offer, for the enjoyment of our readers. See http://www.libre-pub.co.jp/ for more information. (in Japanese)

Continuing with my streak of being very behind with convention news this summer, here’s a quick finishing round-up of manga news at this year’s San Diego Comic Con. Links in the article will direct you to AnimeNewsNetwork where their on-site staff shared all the details from the panels.

The company Top Shelf announced one new manga license: Cigarette Girl by Masahiko Matsumoto and also expressed the hope to license the manga artist’s auto-biography series Gegika Freaks to “complement to Tatsumi’s own autobiographical manga A Drifting Life.” And speaking of which, the ginomrous auto-biography manga A Drifting Life won two Eisner awards at the event  - Best U.S. Edition of International Material – Asia category and Best Reality-Based Work of the Year. (Note: Though I never wrote a complete review on this book, I did read it and got completely swept away in the story. It’s a very inspiring non-fiction story and makes for a fantastic (plus satisfyingly lengthy) read.)

Viz Media didn’t have any new licenses at SDCC (saving them for NYAF I hope?) but they did announce a re-release of the popular series, Death Note. Titled Death Note: Black Edition, this new edition will be released as omnibus books (multiple volumes in one) with new covers and larger trim sizes than the originals. Viz Media also announced that there will be a new layout for their manga magazine, Shonen Jump, upcoming in their December issue.

Vertical Inc. had a new license, Lychee Light Club by Usamaru Furuya who had another work licensed by Viz Media (Genkaku Picasso). The plot of Lychee Light Club definitely sounds unique (from Robot6): “The students at an all-boys school create a robot to track down beautiful women, a robot that for some reason runs on lychee fruits. Everything gets complicated when the machine develops self-awareness, however, and stops being quite so compliant.” Neat Vertical fact extra: Chi’s Sweet Home, released just a few weeks ago, has already become Vertical Inc’s best selling release. Wow!

And lastly in this SDCC round-up comes from the Canadian company Drawn & Quarterly who had a couple new titles to share at the event: Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths and NonNonBâ both by Shigeru Mizuki. Both are older titles by a manga artist known best for their work GeGeGe no Kitarō (which hasn’t yet been released in English).

San Francisco, CA, July 29, 2010 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has provided details regarding the launch of brand new manga series set for release this summer. The series will tantalize the most discriminating manga tastes and features romantic dramas, fantasy driven action, the trials of aspiring manga creators, and a tasty slice of life story set in a romantic bistro in Rome.

Bakuman。· Rated ‘T’ for Teens ·
MSRP: $9.99 US / $12.99 CAN · Available August 3rd

By the creative team that brought you DEATH NOTE! Average student Moritaka Mashiro enjoys drawing for fun. When his classmate and aspiring writer Akito Takagi discovers his talent, he begs Moritaka to team up with him as a manga-creating duo. But what exactly does it take to make it in the manga-publishing world?

DENGEKI DAISY · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens ·
MSRP: $9.99 US / $12.99 CAN · Available Now

After orphan Teru Kurebayashi loses her beloved older brother, she finds solace in the text messages she exchanges with DAISY, an enigmatic figure who can only be reached through the cell phone her brother left behind. Meanwhile, mysterious Tasuku Kurosaki always seems to be around whenever Teru needs help. Could DAISY be a lot closer than Teru thinks?

GENTE · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens ·
MSRP: $12.99 US / $16.99 CAN · Available August 17th

Buona sera! Welcome to Casetta dell’Orso, a quaint little restaurant in the heart of Rome. The food’s delicious, but the handsome staff of bespectacled gentlemen is the real draw. Follow these dashing men home and witness their romances, heartaches, hopes and dreams in this delightfully whimsical continuation of Natsume Ono’s beloved Ristorante Paradiso.

HYDE & CLOSER · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens ·
MSRP: $9.99 US / $12.99 CAN · Available Now

Shunpei Closer is your average… well, slightly below average kid in junior high who finds himself in the middle of a great battle of dark sorcery. With cursed dolls coming after him one after another, Shunpei’s life is in constant danger! If that weren’t enough, Hyde, the teddy bear given to him by his grandfather, suddenly comes alive to rescue him. Hyde was a gift from Shunpei’s grandfather, Alsyd Closer, who was the King of Sorcerers. After a mysterious attack, Shunpei also learns that he is the target of sorcerers all over the world. With Hyde as his main protector and teacher, Shunpei must learn how to gain confidence in himself and use the magic that he has inherited to battle the dark forces that now threaten him.

Seiho boys’ high school! · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens ·
MSRP: $9.99 US / $12.99 CAN · Available August 3rd

Remote, lonely and surrounded by the ocean… This isn’t Alcatraz we’re talking about–it’s Seiho Boys’ High School, where the student body is rife with sexually frustrated hunks! How can these young men get girlfriends when they’re stuck in the middle of nowhere? These are the stories of the students of Seiho High and the trouble they get into as they awkwardly pursue all girls who cross their paths.

For more information on Bakuman。and other Shonen Jump titles from VIZ Media, please visit www.ShonenJump.com.

For more information on DENGEKI DAISY, SEIHO BOYS’ HIGH SCHOOL, and other Shojo Beat titles from VIZ Media, please visit www.ShojoBeat.com.

For more information on HYDE & CLOSER and other Shonen Sunday titles from VIZ Media, please visit www.ShonenSunday.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), is one of the most comprehensive and innovative companies in the field of manga (graphic novel) publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japan’s largest creators and licensors of manga and animation, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa and is a global ex-Asia licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including the popular monthly manga anthology SHONEN JUMP magazine, graphic novels, and DVDs, and develops, markets, licenses, and distributes animated entertainment for audiences and consumers of all ages. Contact VIZ Media at 295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133; Phone (415) 546-7073; Fax (415) 546-7086; and website at www.VIZ.com.

Tokyopop had its panel mid-weekend and offered up few new series for the masses:

The staff also went over the list of upcoming releases which you can read in its entirety over at AnimeNewsNetwork. After noticing an absence of a number of titles I was really looking forward (such as the newest volumes of Matsuri Akino’s series), I asked over Twitter and was promptly responded to by Tokyopop who assured me they were coming soon (with picture proof!). Now that’s service :)

Other tidbits of news included confirmation of the new Gakuen Heaven titles discovered on Amazon a few months ago ( Endo ~ Calling you & Shichijo ~ Sweet Sweet Darling) along with schedule updates for a few other BLU titles as well – “Baseball Heaven, due out 10/12/10, Stray Cat by Halco (11/9/10), Secretary’s Love by tohko Akiba (12/7/10), and You and Me, Etc. by Kyuugou (2/8/11)” (from ANN)

Tokyopop will also be releasing some jigsaw puzzles for their original properties (yay?), will be releasing more manga via digital means at $5.99 a book and shared some more details on a How To Draw Shoujo Manga book which will include material from Japanese company Hakusensha’s line-up including fan-favourites Ouran Host Club and Fruits Basket.

Amnesia Labyrinth – Nagaru Tanigawa
“When high school student Souji Kushiki, an academic achiever and talented athlete from a well-to-do family, returns home from boarding school, he finds that his sisters Harumi, Youko, and Saki have changed. However, when Souji arrives at school the next day, he learns that, during the summer, one of the students in his class was pushed to his death in front of a subway train. And what’s more, two other students were stabbed by an unknown culprit. Are the victims linked, and could Souji’s sisters have anything to do with the murders?” (Vol. 01 coming February 2011)

Tora Dora – Yuyuko Takemiya/Yasu
“It’s Ryuji’s first day in junior high school and it seems as if things are looking up. He gets to sit in between his only friend, Yusaku, and more importantly, the girl he’s secretly crushing on, Minori Kushieda. But just when he thinks the stars are aligned in his favor, he unwittingly crosses the most feared girl in school, Taiga Aisaku, making her into his arch enemy. To top it off, Taiga has moved in right next door to Ryuji and happens to be Minori’s best friend! Can this school year possibly get any worse?!” (Vol. 01 coming March 2011)

A Certain Scientific Railgun – Kazuma Kamach/Kiyotaka Haimura
“Welcome to a world where mysticism and science collide, and supernatural powers are derived from either science or religion. At the heart of this world is Academy City, an advanced metropolis whose population is comprised mostly of students. Meet Mikoto Misaka, the third most powerful Level 5 esper in Academy City. Together with her best friend Kuroko Shirai and the other members of Judgment, a student-run law enforcement agency, Mikoto delves deep into the dark heart of the scientific sprawl she calls home, and uncovers secrets she wishes she hadn’t!” (Vol. 01 coming June 2011).

Personally I’m pretty indifferent to the titles themselves, all being new to me aside from in passing mention (though Toradora sounds cute), but it is promising seeing Seven Seas releasing some new titles and apparently very fandom-supported titles at that. Hope the fans enjoy!

San Diego Comic Con is upon us! As one of the largest (the largest?) convention of its kind, it tends to be a safe bet we’ll hear some snazzy manga news from the packed convention panel rooms over the weekend. So far the biggest list goes to Yen Press who had their panel today. The folks on Twitter and ANN were there to share the news -

New licenses:

Aron’s Absurd Armada – Misun Kim
Highschool of the Dead – Shoji Sato/Daisuke Sato
Higurashi: When They Cry Demon Exposing Arc – En Kitou
Otoyome-Gatari (The Bride’s Stories) – Kaoru Mori
Uraboku (The Betrayal Knows My Name) – Hotaru Odagiri *Missed one!

The title here that really excites me is Kaoru Mori’s The Bride’s Stories. Granted, I was rather bored by Emma and couldn’t finish but I really like her artwork and after watching some digital art-processes with some of the cover art from The Bride’s Stories, I was in love. I look forward to giving another of her series a go and Yen Press should give it fantastic treatment, which according to Deb Aoki “will be a hardcover edition w/ a larger trim size”. Extra shiny!

In other news:

After announcing back in April that Yen Plus would be moving to digital, Yen Press staff announced at their panel that today is the day. Starting today a free preview of the format and content is available up on their new Yen Plus website. All it takes is signing up for an account and you’re ready to go.

I must say, the cost of $2.99 a month is a really good price and includes access to the current and past months’ edition of Yen Plus. New content, serialized chapters and each issue is available to the purchaser for two months after its released. I also like that they chose not to make it Flash based – it loads really smoothly and can be viewed on mobile devices such as iPads. More info is available via their site’s FAQ page – though the link most will likely be curious about (“What series are in the magazine?”) is currently not working.

My only real issue with Yen Plus digital as it stands now is the difficulty much of their target audience will have paying for the subscription. It’s only available via PayPal (which works through credit cards or bank accounts) and this isn’t something the younger audience really has access to. I hope they have some sort of at-convention registration process as well in the future. Not being able to buy subscriptions in multiple month installments also seems like something people won’t like but this policy could change as the process evolves. All a learning experience!

During their panel’s Q&A, YP staff also stated they’re not currently looking into license-rescuing any of the titles previously held by the recently expunged CMX, and they don’t at this time have any new light novel announcements to make.

Didn’t I promise a little more Avatar the Last Airbender content on here? I think I did. While an unfortunate computer-frying has slowed down the posting of my review to the recent graphic novel release of Zuko’s Story, I’m happy to post about this exciting news in the meantime.

After months of job postings, speculation and title dropping, Nickelodeon today sent out an official press release about their new Avatar animated series. Titled Avatar: The Legend of Korra, this sequel series will take place seventy years in the future and follows the title character, Korra, the next Avatar. Born to the water tribes, Korra leaves her home to seek mastery of the four elements and finds herself combatting crime in a steam-powered city of warring classes and those protesting the use of bending. In her travels she’ll also meet the son of Aang, the original series’ main character, whose name is Tenzin.

Created by the same dream team responsible for Avatar: The Last Airbender, there’s tons to be excited about for this series. No word yet how much, if at all, past characters will make appearances (being in their 80s after all) but there still sounds like more than enough reason to tune in. Set for release in 2011, let the countdown begin!

Seven Seas is now pleased to confirm that it has licensed the following manga:

Amnesia Labyrinth (volume 1 coming February 2011)
Tora Dora (volume 1 coming March 2011)
A Certain Scientific Railgun (volume 1 coming June 2011).

Subsequent volumes in each series will follow every 3-4 months.

So why the decision to announce these titles via Twitter and in the form of anagrams, no less? “If I had to write another boring press release, I would’ve stabbed myself with a fork,” said Senior Editor Adam Arnold. “But seriously, we wanted to have a little fun and figured this would be a unique way to announce these new manga series.”

Amnesia Labyrinth

From Nagaru Tanigawa, the author of the acclaimed The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya series, comes a new offbeat tale of murder and demented love!

When high school student Souji Kushiki, an academic achiever and talented athlete from a well-to-do family, returns home from boarding school, he finds that his sisters Harumi, Youko, and Saki have changed. Their strangely clingy behavior borders on the inappropriate and bizarre, yet Souji just brushes off their odd behavior at first.

However, when Souji arrives at school the next day, he learns that, during the summer, one of the students in his class was pushed to his death in front of a subway train. And what’s more, two other students were stabbed by an unknown culprit. Are the victims linked, and could Souji’s sisters have anything to do with the murders?

With the help of his cheery and spunky new girlfriend Yukako Sasai, straight-laced Souji is about to venture into a twisted world that might just be the end of everything he believes to be true.

Tora Dora

Ryuji Takasu has learned the hard way that appearances can be deceiving. For despite his inwardly sweet personality, his unintentionally sharp gaze and aggressive features give him the air of a delinquent thug, putting his chances at making new friends, let alone a girlfriend, next to zero.

It’s Ryuji’s first day in junior high school and it seems as if things are looking up. He gets to sit in between his only friend, Yusaku, and more importantly, the girl he’s secretly crushing on, Minori Kushieda. But just when he thinks the stars are aligned in his favor, he unwittingly crosses the most feared girl in school, Taiga Aisaku, making her into his arch enemy. To top it off, Taiga has moved in right next door to Ryuji and happens to be Minori’s best friend! Can this school year possibly get any worse?!

The Tora Dora franchise began as a long-running light novel series that won “best romantic comedy” in the 2007 Kadowawa Shoten’s Light Novel Award contest and spawned a popular manga, as well as a visual novel for the PSP. Its much-loved, off-the-wall characters have made cameo appearances in Japanese video games. A 25-episode Tora Dora anime series ran on Japanese TV in 2009 and has been released to much acclaim in a deluxe DVD boxset in North America by anime newcomer NIS America.

A Certain Scientific Railgun

Welcome to a world where mysticism and science collide, and supernatural powers are derived from either science or religion. At the heart of this world is Academy City, an advanced metropolis whose population is comprised mostly of students. The majority of students are enrolled in the city’s “Power Curriculum Program,” where they must learn to master their latent psychic powers. Out of several million students, only seven are deemed powerful enough to have Level 5 status.

Meet Mikoto Misaka, the third most powerful Level 5 esper in Academy City. Together with her best friend Kuroko Shirai and the other members of Judgment, a student-run law enforcement agency, Mikoto delves deep into the dark heart of the scientific sprawl she calls home, and uncovers secrets she wishes she hadn’t!

The “Certain” franchise began with the long-running light novel series A Certain Magical Index, which was adapted into both a manga and an anime series. Its spin off, A Certain Scientific Railgun, became a breakout hit. A new anime series following the further adventures of both series’ protagonists is set to air in Japan starting October 2010. The franchise has also spawned an RPG for the Nintendo DS and a fighting game for the Sony PSP.

About Seven Seas Entertainment, LLC

Established in 2004, Seven Seas Entertainment is devoted to producing original manga, comics, graphic novels, and youth literature, and bringing the best in Japanese licenses to North American audiences. Among the company’s current line-up are such original manga properties as Amazing Agent Luna, Aoi House, Destiny’s Hand, Hollow Fields, and It Takes A Wizard; the stunning Vampire manga from Japan, Dance in the Vampire Bund, which is now a hit anime series; and Rachel Roberts’ best-selling YA novel series Avalon: Web of Magic. Seven Seas’ web site, www.gomanga.com, is a daily stop for thousands of visitors eager to read manga online and contribute to an ever-growing forum community. Seven Seas Entertainment is currently partnered with Tor/Macmillan and have collaborated on several series such as Afro Samurai, Hayate X Blade, Inukami!, and the Wicked City novel series by Hideyuki Kikuchi.

This afternoon Viz Media had their panel down at Anime Expo. During the panel they confirmed a number of Viz Media titles that’ve popped up on Amazon and retail sites in recent months (such as Genkaku Picasso and Itsuwaribito) and had some new titles for eager ears as well!

You can check out the complete list of titles under the cut:

Newly Announced Titles:

Mistress Fortune by Arina Tanemura Feb 2011 ($9.99/US)

Sakura Hime Kaden by Arina Tanemura April 2011 ($9.99/US)

Oresama Teacher by Izumi Tsubaki March 2011 ($9.99)

Ai Ore by Mayu Shinjo May 2011 ($9.99)

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -

Confirmed/Updated Titles:

Seio Boys High School! by Kaneyoshi Izumi
(August 2010)

House of Five Leaves by Natsume Ono
(September 2010)

Cross Game (3-in-1 omnibus) by Mitsuru Adachi
(October 2010)

Grand Guignol Orchestra by Kaori Yuki
(October 2010)

March Story by Kyung-Il Yang/Hyung-min Kim
(October 2010)

Vampire Knight Official Fanbook by Matsuri Hino
(October 2010)

Genkaku Picasso by Usamaru Furuya
(November 2010)

Kurozakuro by Yoshinori Natsume
(November 2010)

The Story of Saiunkoku by Sai Yukino/Kairi Yura
(November 2010)

Itsuwaribito by Yuuki Iinuma
(December 2010)

Kamisama Kiss by Julietta Suzuki
(December 2010)

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -

Other Neat Factoids:

- Shonen Jump subscriptions are being lowered to $26.95; Yu-Gi-Oh cards for those who subscribe or renew

- Viz Media will be simulcasting the upcoming anime series Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan based on a Shonen Jump manga. Viz Media didn’t announce the rights to the manga (though we can assume it may be on the way?)

- The tenth Legend of Zelda manga: Phantom Hourglass, will be released in September and is the last LoZ manga volume Viz Media will be releasing

New compliments of this Viz Media live-at-the-time feed.

Anime Expo, North America’s largest anime convention, is upon us once again this weekend! The internet’s been buzzing with excitement from industry folk, bloggers, guests and attendees alike in the weeks leading up to it – and though I can only speak as a spectator to the spectators – it certainly feels like the excitement has reached a level greater than the decline of last year, which saw less industry-presence and fewer announcements.

The big manga news to start goes to Digital Manga who had their panel on Thursday evening. AnimeNewsNetwork is covering all the major events of the convention and thanks to them I’m able to offer the abridged version here for your curious eyes:

New licenses:

A thanks to Digital Manga’s @michellemauk for some cover and info corrections

Neat Factoids:

- Digital Manga announced joint project with Viz Media to sell Naruto anime cels

- eManga.com (Digital Manga’s manga rental website) has increased rental times from 3-7 days, is preparing to offer gift cards for the point system and will be adding lots of new Harlequin titles in the near future

- Manga-ka Nao Yazawa (Wedding Peach) will be creating a new manga exclusively for digital publication on eManga.com. It will be a shoujo/fasntasy/comedy series titled Mizuki and another titled Moon and Blood(via Mania.com)

- Yamane Ayano’s Finder Series (edit: title corrected) will be available in bookstores (most notably to Americans, Borders)

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -

So what do you guys think?

Looks like a pretty rounded collection of news from Digital Manga – some new Hideyuki Kikuchi titles and a collection of boys’ love titles by some well-known creators. I’ll admit I’m pretty giddy to see new titles from CJ Michalski and Kazuma Kodaka, having enjoyed their work already released here. And a new series from Tsuta Suzuki? If it’s half as enjoyable as A Strange and Mystifying Story then consider me first in line!

News-wise, word that they’re offering gift cards for eManga.com really piqued my interest. I’m not a big fan of reading manga/comics digitally but I really want to see it succeed to the benefit of readers, creators and publishers alike. My biggest issue with selling anything online though has always been the difficultly the target audience has with paying via online – so my hope for these gift cards is that they’re actual physical cards you can purchase at conventions and not just digital gift cards. Digital money to buy digital points to read digital books sounds like one too many steps to me.

For a breakdown of their panel, including brief status confirmations of previously announced titles, I recommend the panel coverage at ANN and Mania.com, as well as this neat live-transcription.

For more information, visit these websites, www.animate-world.com, www.b-boy.jp, and to keep on top of all things about Nitta Youka, nittayouka.com!!

July 2010:

Youka Nitta – “Sound Of My Voice – Golden Goose Part 1″
Youka Nitta – “LOL Theater”
Youka Nitta – “Embracing Love Vol.14 (Japanese)”
Shiuko Kano – “P.B.B. Play Boy Blues – Part 1″
Natsuho Shino – “Oh my god! Vol.2″

“Sound Of My Voice – Golden Goose Part 1″ by Youka Nitta

A lifelong dream of fame and fortune has been the driving force of Wataru Jouchi’s entire life. Now, after much self-doubt, he’s decided to fulfill his destiny and become a voice actor　for anime videos.

At first, he is thrilled to discover that his long lost friend, Renji Kazama, is considered a top star in the industry. But Kazama does not seem at all pleased about their unexpected reunion.

Is he simply wary of this newfound competition, or is there another reason why he seems intent on keeping Wataru at arm’s reach?

“LOL Theater” by Youka Nitta

Online communication.
You can’t tell whether the things someone says are real or not. But you can just barely sense that there’s a real person behind those words.

Aragaki, a game creator, really likes that moment of realization, and goes online day after　day. Recently, he’s been logging on to talk to a new online friend “Blue Bee”….

“Haru wo Daiteita – Embracing Love – Vol.14 (Japanese) ” by Youka Nitta

Kato leaves for filming in the dangerous Middle East, carrying a special charm from Iwaki. He overcomes the pressure with their deep love, and the voltage of his acting reaches climax…!

Meanwhile, Iwaki bursts in anger when his management refuses to let him go independent! What does he decide to do…!?

“P.B.B. – Play Boy Blues – Part 1″ by Shiuko Kano
Selling One’s Body　at Japan’s most popular Host Club comes naturally for Junsuke Aki.

In fact, he is the club’s top performer (and earner!) and is easily the most popular Host with the female clientele.

However, his lover, a former Host named Shinobu Hishiya, has forsaken the wild club lifestyle in favor of his new job as a construction worker. Together, they share wild days and passionate nights, making love whatever, wherever, and however they want.

But when jealousy and maｌe pride enter the picture, their blissful, sexy relationship may not be able to handle the strain.

” Oh my god! Vol.2″ by Natsuho Shino
Two Gods Are Twice The Fun!
With the amnesiac god, Jade, and the agoraphobic water god, Rin, constantly battling with each other over Yuto’s heart, there is never a dull moment in his life!

Having two gods so closely attached to him, is there any way that Yuto can ever become just an ordinary high school student again!?

Find out in the conclusion of this hilarious one-person/two-god romantic rollercoaster ride featuring Yuto and his mysterious, and extraordinarily sexy, gods!

About Animate U.S.A., Inc.
From North to South, it’s by far the largest anime store chain in Japan! It’s the go-to place for any anime/manga fan! Character goods from anime, manga, game, comics, art supplies… You name it! All anime/manga-related merchandise is available! Additionally, you can find original Animate goods, specials, etc. Furthermore, we have special events such as autograph sessions, panel discussions, campaigns, and more! Come to Animate filled with ‘Dreams’ and ‘Hope’!!
See http://www.animate.co.jp/ for more information. (Japanese site)

This news comes perhaps less like new pub on the block announcement and more like word that an old pub who we we thought was gone has actually just moved out of their parent’s house with what they could fit on their backs (which conveniently happens to be a library of interesting titles and experience).

Individuals who were previously a part of Aurora Publishing, a manga publisher assumed shut down in recent months, have announced last evening that they’ve reformed under a new name: Manga Factory. Unlike Aurora Publishing, this new company does not have backing of the Japanese company, Ohzora, but will still be publishing licensed titles as the original company did. Interestingly they’re continuing to sell their remaining Aurora Publishing stock as before only now on their new web address at MangaFactory.net. It stands to hope they may be able to finish series that were dropped when Aurora Publishing stopped releasing books but they’ve yet to comment on this possibility.

The company is promoting itself as a publisher of both print and digital material, including “mobile device development for iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle and more.”.  It’ll be neat to see what direction a ‘new’ company takes when coming into the field looking to start with digital means alongside traditional paper editions – starting off, so to speak, at the point many publishers are coming to now. Already they’re promoting a Kindle edition of the manga series Teen Apocalypse: Guilstein which was originally released as an iPhone edition a few years ago. A different company, Animate USA, has also been publishing Kindle editions of Aurora’s books in recent months. Whether this company will have any connection or joint-work with Manga Factory remains, to my knowledge, speculation but it’s more likely Animate USA is working more closely with Japanese companies than their English counterparts.

Manga Factory will have a booth at the upcoming Anime Expo where they’ll also be selling old Aurora Publishing books, which includes largely shoujo, josei and boys’ love titles from their multiple imprints (Aurora, Deux Press and Luv-Luv). If you’re there, stop by and wish them well in this new endeavor and enjoy what will be presumably be an extension of their fantastic discount pricing for the Aurora books. (Psst, get Future Lovers if it’s there, you won’t be disappointed!)

Lots of the usual questions for new companies – what kind of print quality can we expect (in this case the same or similar to Aurora’s?), how much of their content will be digital vs. print, how will they be distributing the content, what will the costs be for different formats and when we can expect a line-up of titles? We may yet get more news at Anime Expo this week but time will tell. Still promising to see some start-ups now though so best of luck to them!

Word comes from Robert’s Anime Corner Blog that Media Blasters has “indefinitely removed” from their schedule three upcoming manga releases – Gay’s Anatomy Episode 0, Drawn to Him (both boys’ love titles) and the sixth volume of Akihibara. (Thanks to Tina Anderson who initially posted the news on her Twitter account)

Schedules being pushed back and books being postponed is a fairly common occurence but outright cancellations aren’t as often, and rarely ever as upfront. So what does this mean for Media Blasters’ manga divison?

Well, they say no news is good news and it’s always felt like the company’s motto, having a nearly non-existant online presence and little interaction with its consumers outside of convention appearances. It’s obviously worked pretty well for them though as they’ve stuck around in the anime market for over a decade and have been releasing manga nearly as long. Still, 2010 has been a year of more news than usual and it hasn’t been good – first news of lay-offs in March and now book cancellations.

I’ve shared my thoughts on Media Blasters in the past but this among other things have really got me thinking about the company. I love them for their treatment of Yayoi Neko’s Incubus and their willingness to license (and have fun with) boys’ love titles of the more risque and silly variety. Still, the release quality of said books in recent years has dwindled significantly. Pick up a book from MB in 2004 and you had a professional looking package – pick up a book from MB (boys’ love in particular) after 2007 and yikes. Crimson Spell and Yokai’s Hunger, both popluar series with high-profile creators amidst genre fans, had some pretty shoddy treatment in regards to lettering and adaptation, especially comparatively to their older books. It’s a real shame.

During my recent trip to Anime North, I stopped by Media Blaster’s small booth several times in hopes of speaking with some of the company’s attending staff (and learned from those attending the table who weren’t with MB that I have the worst timing in the world). Though the table had a decent selection of their anime and live-action films, there wasn’t a single volume of manga on the table. I was both confused and a little disappointed, having seen their tables with lots of their manga in the past. It didn’t set off any warning bells at the time but maybe it should’ve?

Adding potential insult to possible injury, Media Blaster’s Sales & Marketing Director Alex Sena has also moved on from the company earlier in the month. It’s not evident if Alex was laid off or quit (stating they did find a job elsewhere in the publishing industry) but as one of the few contacts people had within the company, it was sad to see them go. That said best of luck to Alex in all future endeavours though!

Staff layoffs, cancelled books and a continuing lack of information don’t spell out good things for Media Blasters but the implications still remain all speculation right now. As a big fan of publisher-interaction and an avid internet user, I still think it’s not too late for Media Blasters to take some steps (like a simple workable website!) to put their manga-name out there to the more casual buyer and promote the series they have, many of which already have strong pre-existing fan-bases. I’m not saying it’s a fix all, but I like to think it definitely couldn’t hurt.

But is it getting to be too late?

“Working together, the membership of the coalition will actively seek legal remedies to this intellectual property theft against those sites that fail to voluntarily cease their illegal appropriation of this material.”

Along with a list of Japanese license-holders, North American manga publishers Viz Media, Yen Press, Vertical and Tokyopop are also all on the list showing a crackdown on piracy that many had hoped (and some expected) was coming.

So what does this mean for the manga scanlation world? In some ways a lot, and in others probably not so much. While the specifics of this coalition isn’t addressed in much detail in the press release, it seems safe to say that Viz, Yen Press and Tokyopop aren’t likely to call out the big guns over things like individual scanlation groups unless they’re outright violating licenses they hold. The large aggregator sites that make money off of posting full series (many of which fully available in English) on the other hand, are something that’s been a huge eyesore in the entire industry and medium for ages, offending companies, fans and scanlators alike as they dropkick any percieved notion of nobility square in the proverbial balls.

Firstly and foremost, scanlations are illegal – flat out, no exceptions. Whether you do it “out of love” or not, scanlations are theft and they directly and negatively impact the creators and the companies. Unfortunately, it remains a moot point to argue that companies don’t rely on them when it comes to deciding on what to license and the resulting fanfare. While even scanlations of series not yet licensed in English is still harmful, it’s long been overlooked as a necessary evil of sorts, one that accepts a language limitation of readers wishing to read a manga in their own language. When this barrier no longer exists however, then you’ve officially tossed all kind-given reasoning to the wind.

This is thus where the biggest issue lies – people who read manga for free that’s fully available to them in their own language (for sake of this article, English will be the predominant example). If the majority of people who thought ‘hey that series was neat’ went to Amazon (or other such online retail site or physical store) first instead of the thousands who go to Google and type in a generic ‘such-and-such-a-series-volume-1-for-free’, then we’d be looking at a whole different manga industry. Most of this falls to a morale stand on the reader’s part, an unfortunate cycle of habit many have gotten themselves into for whatever their reason. Lots of alternative means out there but it’s high time those legal means stopped being the alternatives.

Aggregrators, in the manga sense, are large websites that offer up hundreds of series to read via their site. This regardless of creator permission (which is never), scanlator permission (which is half-never) and regardless of if the series has been published in English (in fact often intentionally so they can thrive off the official publicity and interest). They then slater their websites with ads to rake in the money from visitors and send out Google ads to look more legit and draw in more hopefully-unsuspecting readers. These are the sites need to be taken down so badly that it’s rather sickening to know they’ve thrived this long.

Will the tear-down of these sites be the result of this coalition? It looks like the companies are planning to be civil about it, this despite the fact these sites have been giving them the finger for so many years. Admirably patient perhaps but a polite ‘please stop’ seems like it’ll definitely fall on deaf ears. While promising in itself to see such big manga giants working together for a common goal in this big pool of common interest, where they go from here is the real thing to keep an eye on – it’ll be a huge victory if they can take down these sites but perhaps a little naive to think it’ll happen overnight.

Personally, I say “amazing!” to this – it’s a promising start. If companies want manga readers to stick up for their work (you know, beyond the obvious that you should already be supporting what you care about without being prodded) then they need to show they’re willing to stand up for themselves.

As for the ‘little guys’, the scanlation groups who offer scans and translations of series not yet licensed and don’t charge money for them and don’t feed them like greed-soaked fillets to aggregator sites – keep on truckin’. I don’t personally agree with what you do, but I know what you do is needed with the way things are now and most of you do do it out of love and wanting to share a fun story and read what people think of it. But be nice, follow your own code of yester-year – if a company licenses something, don’t cuss and kick up a fuss. They’re in the right – it’s good news. Politely take down your scans and direct your readers to the legal editions and give yourself a pat on the back for likely helping see it happen.

This is a big manga playground and if everyone plays nice, we’ll have happy recesses forever – everyone just needs to learn how to share the space. Getting there one less bully at a time for now at least!