Missed this when it was originally posted to the site but mid-August my review of Crimson Cross was posted over on AnimeNewsNetwork.

What to say about this one… well, it wasn’t bad, persay, but I’d felt like I’d read a near-exact story a hundred times before. It’s a vampire story about the son of Van Hellsing who is turned half vampire and thusly spends his grim days hunting the uber-power vampire who turned him. Along the way he meets carbon-copies of the same female archtype to give him some sort term angst. He broods, he reflects and generally fails at defeating the vampire. There’s a werewolf in there too somewhere. It’s just really stereotypical, unfortunately, and I found myself bored half way through when I realized it wasn’t going anywhere different than the usual.

This book was also another case where I was really underwhelmed by their graphic design decision for the front of the book. The thick flat-colour maroon border just suffocates the artwork – I don’t understand why they wouldn’t use a full-bleed of the art itself.

Overall, it’s as my review says, I can only really recommend this book to “those entirely new to the concept, or those so smitten that they must have all there is to do with the undead-leeches.” Sadly it’s a been-there-bit-that experience.

Reading manga online isn’t for everyone. Looking at any screen for hours can make your head hurt and your eyeballs fell like they’ve been dipped in bleach. Luckily, I was designed in a lab specifically to avoid those symptoms. I love reading manga online. I love that I control the vertical and the horizontal, that I can sharpen a single image to crystal clarity. I love that no trees were killed in order for me to enjoy a particular volume. I love that I can read the many works of Makoto Tateno and not worry about where in my tiny house I’ll fit them.

But while I like reading manga on my computer screen, that doesn’t mean I give every manga company that posts their wares online a pass. In fact, because I enjoy it so much, I want to see it done right. For the most part there’s not a big difference between publishers’ online manga viewers. It’s a pretty basic concept: it’s manga, and it’s online. This article is to point out the tiny details that differentiate them, the little things that either makes reading manga online a pleasure or a pain.

One of the biggest advantage online manga has to its pulp and paper counterparts is the ability to be easily magnified. In theory, a manga page could be enlarged to the point where it stretched far beyond your screen. Not that I think that level of magnification is needed, but the technology is there, as compared to a physical book where if you want to see a panel enlarged you either bring it closer to your face or get a magnifying glass. So naturally you would think that every company would take advantage of this and give the reader and option to enlarge the pages.

Some do and some don’t. Tokyopop’s sample pages come in two sizes: tiny and all right. Meanwhile at Digital Manga’s site emanga.com and Viz’s site you have a variety of sizes you can make the pages. But for me, it’s not enough merely to be able to magnify the pages, I want it to stay that way until I’m done. Digital Manga has the right idea. When I’m reading something and I enlarge a page, I know the next page will be the same size. On Viz’s viewer each new page reverts back to its original. I find this too small for me, so I magnify it, read the page, and then turn the page and mutter angrily when I see that the pages have gone back to being small again. Sure it’s a little thing, but having to do it page after page after page…after awhile I start reading the manga through a red mist of anger.

One other thing Viz could add is clickable pages, so that when the reader clicked on the manga the pages turned. This is a simple thing that webcomics have done for ages (and something both the Tokyopop and Digital Manga’s manga viewers employ). I mean sure, there are clearly labelled buttons saying ‘next’ and ‘previous,’ but I want buttons and clickable pages!

Maybe I sound lazy, wanting to be able to turn the page with a simple click on the screen instead of a button. But I’m not so lazy that I would use Tokyopop’s timed page setting, where a timer automatically turns the page for you. Really? Are there really people who can’t bother to click a button and turn the page themselves? There are several settings you can pick. If you want to take a whole 45 seconds to luxuriate in a page of “Red Hot Chilli Samurai,” that power is available to you. On the other hand, if you are tightly pressed for time, there is the 3-seconds per page setting. I remember reading somewhere that it takes the average manga reader about 3.5 seconds to read a page of manga (if you also remember reading this random fact, please post where so I can credit them and give this article some air of extra respectability). Even if 3.5 seconds is the average time it takes someone to read a page, the three second manga just seems way too frantic. You’re trying to read a sample chapter of “Return to Labyrinth” but the pages keep turning before you can finish them and suddenly the kettle is boiling but you can’t turn it off or else you’ll miss six pages and your phone rings and it’s your mom and yes mom, I saw you e-mailed me some job postings, no I haven’t looked at them yet and Ahhhhhhhh!, the manga preview is already over.

Basically it’s a useless feature. The only use I can see for it is if you are involved in some kind of competitive manga reading league where speed is key. In that case, this feature would make the perfect training tool. Or maybe if you timed your life to the second (“Let’s see, fifteen minutes for breakfast, followed by a ten minute run, and oh, I have a one minute block between my shower and catching the bus. I could use that to read a chapter of Gakuen Alice, but only if I use the three second setting.”) The rest of us can just set the timer to manual and turn the page ourselves.

One edge both Tokyopop and Viz have over Digital Manga is splash pages. DMP only shows one page at a time, which means that splash pages get broken up. Tokyopop always shows two pages at a time no matter what, so splash pages are always intact. Viz will show one or two pages at a time depending on what size the pages are, but they generally makes sure to keep splash pages intact. This is an especially important point concerning their action series. One reason the climax at the end of Maoh: Juvenile Remix works so well is because the manga-ka knows how to rock a splash page. Cutting the layouts up into individual pages would just ruin the flow.

Even though they halve the splash pages, I do think Digital Manga Publishing has the best manga viewer out of the three I talk about here. Their layout is simple but effective, and there’re lots of little flourishes that you get to know after using it for awhile (like the ability to bookmark pages, an element I haven’t seen elsewhere). And even though I complain about some minor quirks from each company, in general I’m just happy to see more companies putting stuff online. It’s not just limited to the three I talked about here either. Seven Seas has entire volumes on their site, while Yen Press is pushing forward with its online magazine. It’s an exciting time to have genetically modified optic nerves made for staring at computer screens.

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

Looking for online manga to read? Check out the links on the sidebar! All legal, professionally translated, creator-endorsed and updated frequently.

Another week, another slew of new releases! I was too late to get a hold of a copy of 20th Century Boys (Vol. 10) but there was still plenty of other good titles to pick up (now with some pictures):

BLU, the boys’ love imprint of Tokyopop, had a couple of new titles out this week. The most exciting of which was the third volume of Voice or Noise. The second volume was released in February 2008 so it’s been quite a wait for this follow-up. None the less I’m as excited to finally purchase a copy now as I was looking forward to it after finishing the last. Great boys’ love series!

The other title I picked up from them is Scarlet, a one-shot by the same creator who did Cute Devil. Honestly, I don’t have much interest in this artist or this premise but I bought the painfully overpriced book all the same because it marks a new (potentially continued?) book style and I wanted to check it out/support it. It sports a larger-than-the-norm trim size and colour inserts at the front. I flipped through it and it was actually a bit disorienting reading a BLU title suddenly notably larger, though snazzy all the same. It’s great to see, especially since it takes a step closer to almost justifying the $18.99 price tag.

Continuing on the semi-boys’ love trend, I was amazed to see a whole slew of DokiDoki titles on the shelf of Chapters (the B&N/Borders equivalent to you Americans out there). They’ve only ever carried sparse copies of Vampire Hunter D from Digital Manga so seeing them branch out to this varied imprint was exciting, plus very promising to the local boys’ love fanbase who are too timid to special order. Though not boys’ love, I purchased a physical copy of Alice the 101st which I reviewed earlier in the month for ANN.

Moving onto other genres, I picked up a copy of Bakuman (Vol. 01) – the team of Death Note makes a manga about making manga – and the fourth volume of Ooku in which it feels like the faux-Shakespearean speech that I really dislike seems more toned down (or is that just me?). In the mail I got a copy of the newest volume of Butterflies, Flowers which is hilarious – I am completely enamoured with the mature silliness of this series and I hope many others are too.

And lastly, thanks to my local library, I’ve been reading the Manga Guide to Databases. After reading the Manga Guide to Statistics last week and being impressed with how much I actually retained from it, I sought out this one as I’ve been wanting a basic introduction to databases. Yay for learning?

Author: Hideyuki Kikuchi
Manga-ka: Shin Yong-Gwan
Publisher: DMP
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: March 2010

Synopsis: “In a serendipitous moment, a young girl meets Akamushi, finds him so beautiful and unforgettable, falls in love with him at first sight. Turns out her grandfather and mother are haunted by a “Waraigao” demon – a demon that attacks living human bodies from inside the body to erode and eventually deteriorate their nerves that kills them. Akamushi senses that her family is in danger, follows her home, only to discover that she is being attacked by her own family member that was fully possessed by “Waraigao.” Can Akamushi eliminate the demon and save her life?”

The story that made up the entire first volume ends fairly swiftly here in the second. It comes as a bit of a surprise since the first volume felt as though it was setting up what would be the continuing plot throughout the series. Turns out to the story’s benefit however that this isn’t the case.

The young woman who found herself hunted by unknown assailants remains unsure about her own safety, fearful about who may be around the corner. Soon enough she realizes that it’s those closest to her who hold the real truth and the gruesome faces she sees on them bring forth a very important memory she’d forgotten. When things get dangerous, the beautiful Akamushi appears once again to save her in what swiftly becomes another detailed and grotesque battle to the death. As usual, his unapproachable ability proves no match for the creatures he faces or the remnants of those he dispatched in volume one. Thusly, the young woman, who always seemed to take things perhaps a little too much in stride, sees her story quickly, and to an almost unsatisfying degree after such build-up, come to an end.

But, the story of Akamushi goes on. The rest of the volume consists of a couple short stories before leading into a  longer final chapter that ends on a cliffhanger note to move into volume three. While the first volume introduced readers to Akamushi, there wasn’t to know about him past the fact he was undeniably gorgeous and scarily powerful, utilizing spiders and webbing to deadly effect. Here in part two, we see a lot more of his personality and it proves a lot more unpredictable than the inevitability of the battles he takes part in. Akamushi’s exact role and purpose isn’t entirely clear but it is pretty evident he does much of it for his own entertainment. We see him interfere in events for the sake of curiousity, we see him grin a terrifying smile cheek to cheek as he finds something that piques his interest. He seems much more dangerous a character in his own right than just the mysterious savior with dark means that he came across as before. Some of his enigmatic, romanticized charm is lost in this regard but it does offer a lot more unpredictability about him that goes a long way in adding to the horror element of the book.

The first short story, spanning only a few pages, mars the fate of a family whose provider’s eyes fall upon Akamushi – a creature so beautiful that any mortals who see him must die. Cursed to die at the sight of him goes a little far but fans of pretty-boys will certainly not be disappointed by him – wow. Piercing gaze, flowing hair, Heian-period attire – he’s absolutely gorgeous, barring all reviewer-bias. The rest of the art is good, not especially memorable, but it’s consistent and polished and builds a good atmosphere around each scene. The strongest moments are when Akamushi combats otherworldly creatures where a sense of motion and detail is utilized to bring each skin-crawling, blood dripping element to life.

The last story in the book is the one cited on the book’s back cover. It introduces a young girl who is relentlessly teased for being from a family known for being cursed by something called ‘the laughing stomach’. Lost in despair, the girl sees Akamushi beneath a water’s surface and, immediately smitten with his appearance, throws herself into the water to be near him. He saves her from her death, curious about a presence that drew him to her house in the first place. Enthralled with his beauty and demeanour, the girl begs Akamushi to make her his bride – a request that though first refused, is used in teasing fashion later as Akamushi helps himself to her family’s hospitality after the curse spreads through the home. Creepiness ensues! First the girl’s grandfather begins to eat at the very walls of their house and then her Mother stabs a hideous laughing face that protrudes from her own stomach. The story ends with Akamushi introducing himself as he sets to his task of exploring the demonic tumor plaguing the household, looking giddy about the prospects the whole time.

Taimashin: The Red Spider Excorist feels like a much different kind of series now that it’s playing out in episodic tales instead of focusing solely on what some would’ve presumed was the continuing story started in volume one. The format in use now suits the genre and the character better, allowing the lead to be seen in a number of different situations, each one offering another way to reveal a bit more about him. Akamushi is still eye-candy for the interested but has also started to offer plenty more for the curious.

Review written August 3, 2010 by Lissa Pattillo
Digital copy provided by Digital Manga for review purposes

Manga-ka: Minoru Murao
Publisher: Digital Manga
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: July 2008

Synopsis: “It is an age of paranoia, superstition and religious fanaticism and the kingdom of Excludo is being engulfed in flames. The people are under the thrall of witch hysteria and burnings and executions have become a common sight. But the witch trials and inquisitions are a fraud and countless innocent women, falsely accused as witches, are being burned at the stake. Just when all hope seems lost, along comes the Black Knight-Mist, and his sidekick Euphemia, a “true witch” to avenge the innocent and force their own brand of justice on the wicked!”

Knights is a throw-back to the sword and sorcery anime of the nineties such as Slayers or Record of Lodoss War. It wasn’t until I read this manga that I realized how much I missed the genre’s appearance in anime and manga. Knights has a little bit of everything: sword fights, interesting characters, and a unique magic system. Even if you’re not a fan of medieval fantasy though, it’s still worth giving volume one a try.

One thing I love about this manga is that it starts off running. Katrina is a teenage girl who’s being burned at the stake after being accused of witchcraft. Just as she’s about to get roasted, the legendary ‘black knight’ and his witch partner come to her rescue. Once they get away, they are shocked to learn that Katrina is actually a highborn lady. But that’s nothing compared to the secret that Mist, the black knight, hides under his mask.

I didn’t see the reveal about Mist’s identity coming, and even though I hate to spoil it it’s impossible to talk about the manga without giving it away. It turns out that Mist is black, hence the name ‘black knight’ despite his outfit being mostly blue. I can think of a handful of manga that have black minor characters. I can think of even less that have black major characters. But a manga with a black person as the actual lead? And a medieval fantasy at that? I never saw it coming. It’s a great twist and helps differentiate the series from other action shonen manga.

The world of Knights is set in pseudo dark ages Europe. While the cities and countries may be different from our world, the attitudes of the populace is very much in line with what would have been common during medieval times. People’s reactions to Mist’s skin colour vary, but for the most part they treat him with contempt or fear, thinking that his dark skin is a sign that he’s in league with the devil. Naturally, this gives Mist a bit of a complex. Mist is shocked when, even after seeing his face, Katriana treats him exactly the same way she did before. It’s a nice moment that builds up both characters.

Also in Mist’s corner is Euphemia, an actual witch. Euphemia wears one of the skimpiest outfits I’ve ever seen in an anime or manga, and I’ve watched Witchblade. But amazingly the skimpy outfit actually fits with her character in that she doesn’t really care what normal humans think of her. The outfit also works since every single character comments on it the first time they see it. Sometimes this also helps out during a fight, since the bad guys are momentarily stunned by how little clothing she’s wearing. If her clothing seems lacking to a modern reader, just imagine what someone with a dark ages’ mindset would think.

The basic plot is that Mist and Euphemia are going around rescuing woman who have been falsely accused of witchcraft. At first it seems like the manga is going to be episodic, but the volume gradually reveals an overarching plot. Mist is actually part of a secret order that is trying to bring down the corrupt church. Aside from fighting clergymen and their fighters, Mist and others have to fight ‘saints,’ humans who have been given special powers by the church. We only get to see a couple of saints in this volume: one a giant ogre of a priest and the other a young female knight with prehensile hair. A lot of these plot elements are only fully explained later in the volume, so hopefully future books will expand on Mist’s mission.

The fights scenes are dynamic and well-paced, especially when the manga cuts back and forth between scenes. There’s a nice clarity to the art, both in character design and layout. The art style in general is pretty cute, which can be a little weird when the book goes to some dark places. There’s nothing extremely graphic here but the manga is about witch hunts and the hunters use many of the same techniques that their real-world counterparts used. While not a lot is shown a lot is implied.

Knights volume one is a very fun read. The characters may be pretty typical – plucky hero boy, pure-hearted girl, scantily clad magic user – but at the same times they have chemistry and still manage to be interesting. This first volume ends with Katrina setting out to find Mist, her travelling companions’ former enemy and a saint who may still be one yet. Just in that plot thread alone there’s so much room for drama and conflict. Add in all the other hints and plot threads dangling at the end of this volume, and you have me eagerly awaiting the chance to read volume two.

Review written July 29, 2010 by Shannon Fay
Digital copy provided by Digital Manga for review purposes

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.

Author: Arika Kuga
Manga-ka: Taishi Zaou
Publisher: DokiDoki
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: November 2009

Synopsis: “On the night of the year-end party, in high spirits and under the influence of the party’s free-flowing alcohol, Satori ends up sleeping with Asou. Since then, every day that Asou comes over, he does nothing beyond kiss Satori over and over, and as much as it perplexes him, Satori is unable to resist his advances. But one day Satori hears a nasty rumor that Asou has a girlfriend!”

This is the first boys’ love novel I’ve read that isn’t a June publication, though it is published by another Digital Manga imprint, Doki Doki. I enjoyed it – for some reason, it had a different feel to the prose. It maybe sounded a little less like it had been translated from Japanese than the June novels tend to do, and a little more like the English you might expect from a native speaker. I don’t know that either style is necessary better, or even that I like one or the other better. They’re just different.

The characters in this book are well rounded. The uke, Satori, from who’s point of view the book is written, is studious, smart, and generally a good student, but I like that those aspects are just a part of who he is. He doesn’t come off as a geek or someone who doesn’t know his own worth. He may wonder what the hottest guy in school sees in him, but he doesn’t think of himself as a mouse or shadow; just an ordinary guy with ordinary friends and an ordinary life.

Asou, on the other hand, is extraordinary, but if you read between the lines when he’s in the scene, you can see that he doesn’t necessarily think he’s all that like the other students do. He has a past he doesn’t like to talk about, and it colours his impression of himself. It makes him act more aloof than he really feels inside, and the author has done a good job of letting us see this, even through the eyes of Satori, who doesn’t see it at all at first. I liked the way the author’s created characters who are a lot deeper than what even they themselves see.

The complication (so often used to get reluctant ukes to see how much they really want their semes) is that of the rumoured girlfriend, giving an added twist to the story. It’s Asou’s own doing though. He sets Satori up to think there’s a girl in his life so Satori will be shocked into realizing how he really feels about Asou. It’s perfect, showing just how unsure of himself Asou really is. Usually, this device turns out to be just a misunderstanding, but in this case, the fact that Asou connives to trick Satori is just another facet to his personality that makes him a real character, and not just another pushy seme.

For a story that isn’t actually that long, (just 68 pages), the plot has a surprising number of little twists and hiccups to keep the lovers apart but not so far apart you get overly frustrated with them. There’s a lot of internal dialogue so you’re never left wondering what’s on Satori’s mind. By the time he gets to the point of knowing he can’t be with Asou, even though he’s figured out he loves him, you want to cry with him. I found him an emotionally strong, satisfying character and well able to carry the story.

The book’s ‘bonus’ story, Hold Me Tighter, is actually longer than the title story, at 84 pages, but it reads so fast I didn’t even notice. Now that the characters are introduced, and there’s no need to go into quite so much depth (though I did notice there were brief explanations about how the boys had got to this point, ie: very short summaries of Fevered Kisses here and there), there’s more room for plot and actual story. And a lot more glimpses into Satori’s head where we get to see him in all his neurotic glory. I did get a bit frustrated with him in this story, but only a bit. The introduction of Asou’s past, including an old hook up, gave Satori lots of reason to angst.

As for Asou, he was actually absent for a lot of the story, present only through Satori thinking about him, missing him, wanting him, searching for him, and ultimately, deciding to love him no matter what. This was very much Satori’s story, and he undergoes a lot of growth throughout the tale.

The illustrations in this book were fantastic, and I can see why fellow-reviewer Lissa mentioned this is one of her favourite manga-ka. There is a lovely amount of detail in the drawings, especially in the clothing and expressions, although, there are a disconcerting number of pictures in which Satori looks a little stunned. What’s nice is that the manga-ka doesn’t skimp on background, and that finishes the illustrations off making them look more complete. I do have to say my favourite is the very first within the story itself. Although it’s one of the images in which Satori looks a little stunned, it also shows off a bit of his nice little ass. The best part is the gentle, almost hopeful expression on Asou’s face. I love that picture.

I would definitely recommend Fevered Kiss to anyone who likes that extra bit of introspection in their stories, and the illustrations have whetted my appetite for more of this artist’s work, for sure.

Review written June 28 by Jaime Samms
Book provided by Digital Manga for review purposes

So come up to San Francisco in October, and meet the immensely talented Hinako Takanaga in person, and hear her answer questions about her process and her work!

Yaoi-Con takes place over the Halloween weekend, October 29-October 31, and at a brand new location in Burlingame, CA! For more information on Yaoi-Con, including location, hotels, and registration, please visit their site at: www.yaoicon.com

Author: Hideyuki Kikuchi
Manga-ka: Saiko Takaki
Publisher: Digital Manga
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: December 2009

Synopsis: “The City, a tiny metropolis of a few hundred sheltered citizens floating serenely on a seemingly random course a few feet above the ground, has long been thought safe from the predation of marauding monsters. It seems like a paradise – a paradise shattered when an invasion of an apparent vampire threatens the small haven! While the Vampire Hunter known only as “D” struggles to exterminate the scourge, a former denizen of the city, the attractive Lori Knight, and the brash John M. Brasselli Pluto VIII seize control of the city, lurching it onto a new and deadly course. D’s travails are just the beginning…”

In this fourth volume of Hideyuki Kikuchi’s Vampire Hunter D, D finds himself under the employ of the mayor of a floating city, with a mystery to solve amidst the usual doomed atmosphere of his post-apocalyptic realm. Taking an approach similar to OEL projects, this is a work Digital Manga commissioned themselves, and it presents a complete adaptation of the fourth Vampire Hunter D novel without the usual chapter breaks and cliff hangers of serialized manga. Allowing for a natural yet efficient pace, the story reveals it secrets while also creating questions like a good mystery should. Takaki continues to provide a stunning interpretation of Kikuchi’s work that comes close to the ethereal nature of Yoshitaka Amano’s illustrations, while also providing her own touches to the comic.

D’s world is one of grey morality, with the reader having to base a lot of D’s personality off his actions due to his primarily silent nature. He often acts nobly, but is aware of the darker aspects of humanity and not entirely fooled by Pluto’s jovial manner. D’s hand continues to be the comic foil, a horrific take on the mascot concept with his gruesome burned visage and crackly word balloons. Pluto himself is a strange creature, and Kikuchi manages to make him very likeable while also letting us know there’s something not quite human about him.

The fates of other characters are seemingly random as some D chooses to save meet horrible fates later on. It’s the result of the nature of their world, as well as choices others make, which makes for a fascinating read compared to the usual shonen manga route of constantly repeating the rewards of hard work, friendship and studying. In D’s world, fate is more cruel, although kindness is still important, as people find ways to make lives in this horrific future. Fate is also the result of choices , which may have been for noble reasons, but often succumb to the corruption of the true horror of their motives.

The town‘s Mayor becomes an integral figure as D investigates into the truth behind the death of Lori’s family and the secrets held in their home. D sees through many lies, yet also relies on Pluto to clue him in on other aspects, operating as less of a loner as allies come to his side (even if not for entirely pure motives). Even sweet Lori surprises the reader on occasion, but all these actions pale in comparison to the final chapters of the book. Those who love epic destruction and mayhem might even be surprised where the Mayor’s past has lead him. He proves to be a fascinating character who tries to look over the consequences of his actions, strict in his beliefs, as Kikuchi provides a captivating portrait of someone making all the wrong choices for what he is sure are the best reasons possible.

Takaki’s artwork continues it’s decadent flare. Unlike many modern manga, this is a work that harkens back to Kikuchi’s heyday of gritty OVA and film adaptations in the 80s with diverse character designs. Takaki’s artwork remains attractive with strong anatomical skills and beautiful inks. It depicts a world that has collapsed, and the somewhat inhuman looks of some of the cast contributes to the otherworldly feeling. Her line work is rough yet polished, relying on scratchy, natural line work that gives a simultaneous sense of great energy in the action and a worn down society, while also providing some delicate aspects in D’s complicated costume design and Lori’s initially silent characterization. From towering brutes and busty women, to average families and townsfolk, to zombies and vampires, Takaki covers a lot of ground in this volume with numerous crowd scenes sporting distinct design work and architecture, giving a rounded feel to the setting of Mobile Town and it’s ruin as the truth about the invading vampire comes to light. The floating town itself is like a grim paradise where people live in peace, yet are quickly torn apart by their own machinations.

Being a self contained work, it’s easy to recommend this volume to any reader intrigued by what Kikuchi’s output has to offer. He continues to be a fairly prolific author, inspiring many anime that lined the shelves of video stores in the 90’s such as a Wind Named Amnesia, Wicked City, the two D anime films and Darkside Blues. DMP and Dark Horse have translated many of these novels into English, but it’s a treat to get yet more comic adaptations of his work. It’s clear he has a dedicated following among domestic fans despite not being as well known among some fan circles, and this work makes for a good introduction to the tone of his works.

Digital Manga’s presentation offers a lovely colour insert of Lori, French flaps, another inner cover detail of cast members introduced in this volumes similar to volume three, and offers yet more bonus manga as Takaki recounts attending a fan event for Kikuchi before she got the chance to work with him. A moment of adorableness comes as she reveals she met her husband at another fan event, so these make for a good breather after the dramatic tone of the rest of the work.

Those looking for dark, gothic fantasy away from the usual gimmicks and trends in their manga will be well served, as Vampire Hunter D is a series with a strong focus on world building, characters and atmosphere, while Takaki‘s artwork does a great job at bringing it all to undead life.

Review written April 15, 2009 by Andre
Book provided by Digital Manga

Partnership brings first manga title to PSP™(PlayStation®Portable)

San Diego, CA (April 15, 2010) – IDW Publishing and Digital Manga Publishing forge ahead in the world of digital comics today by bringing the first manga title to Sony’s hot new PSP Digital Comics offering: Vampire Hunter D, as part of continued growth to become one of the best selling manga titles globally. Vampire Hunter D first gained notoriety when it landed ashore as an anime property in the late 1980’s. Its popularity has continued to grow with subsequent feature anime films, English adapted novel series and jumping boundaries over to manga form. With over 17 million copies sold in books, video, and merchandise worldwide, the Vampire Hunter D property now debuts in this new digital medium.

“We’re very excited to release the very first digital manga on the PSP and to kick off our partnership with Digital Manga,” said Jeff Webber, Director of ePublishing at IDW. “Vampire Hunter D is an excellent story to launch the PSP manga catalogue, offering this popular series for manga fans worldwide through this new platform. We’ll be rolling out the first volume of the series as a new chapter each week for the next six weeks.”

With the success of the Vampire Hunter D manga series, Digital Manga Publishing teams up with IDW Publishing to bring what every manga, sci-fi and horror fan has been waiting for through Sony’s PSP. Set in the far future, Vampire Hunter D chronicles the fallout of massive world war. From the darkness of war’s devastation, mutants and a race of vampires known as the Nobility have spawned. They rule the weak with no remorse. Once bitten by a Nobility, one is cursed to become a member of the undead. Villagers cower in fear, hoping and praying for a savior to rid them of their undying nightmare. All they have to defend against this fate is a different kind of danger – a Vampire Hunter.

“We’re sure every fan’s anticipation will be met with this launch,” commented Fred Lui, VP Production for Digital Manga Publishing. “DMP and IDW are very proud to have a title such as this—so known throughout the years in the anime/manga fandom – be able to debut it as the first of its kind for PSP. This is just the start of many things to come from IDW and DMP.”

The first chapter of Vampire Hunter D came out last week, and was #1 in the US, and #2 in the UK and European Union in sales for the PSP platform. Stay on top of releases of Vampire Hunter D through the Sony PSP blog.

Vampire Hunter D Volume 1: Chapter #1 ($1.99) is now available through the PlayStation®Store here.

Visit IDWPublishing.com to sign up for updates and learn more about the company and its top-selling books. For more information about Vampire Hunter D, visit the official website at www.vampire-d.com
—————————————————————

About IDW Publishing
IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The Transformers and G.I. JOE, Paramount’s Star Trek; Fox’s Angel; the BBC’s Doctor Who; and comics and trade collections based on novels by worldwide bestselling author, James Patterson. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints; Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studios; and is the print publisher for EA Comics and ComicMix.

IDW’s original horror series, 30 Days of Night, was launched as a major motion picture in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the #1 film in its first week of release. More information about the company can be found at IDWPublishing.com.

Media Contact: AnnaMaria White
AnnaMaria@IDWPublishing.com
858.270.1315, ext 121

——————————————————————–
About Digital Manga Publishing
Located in Gardena, CA, Digital Manga Publishing is one of the industry’s most unconventional and innovative companies, specializing in building corporate and cultural bridges from Japan to the Western Hemisphere – specifically through the licensing, importation and localization of anime (Japanese animation), manga (Japanese comic books) and related merchandise for the North American mainstream and subculture markets. In this capacity, Digital Manga Inc. serves as a catalyst for the expansion of Japanese pop culture institutions into global arenas. The company’s diverse manga imprint line includes high profile manga/anime titles such as Vampire Hunter D; popular romance titles–Only the Ring Finger Knows; classic iconic titles–Speed Racer Mach GoGoGo; and award nominated titles–Itazura Na Kiss (Young Adult Library Service Assoc.) and Antique Bakery (Eisner Award). Digital Manga Publishing also caters to the young audience with a vast array of educational and instructional line of books with their Edu-Manga series and Let’s Draw Manga series.

Digital Manga Publishing has also established domestic co-publishing ventures with Dark Horse Comics (Trigun, Hellsing, Berserk), as well as foreign co-publishing partnerships with Taiyoh Tosho Publishing, Oakla Publishing, and Shinshokan Publishing–DokiDoki imprint.

For more information about Digital Manga Publishing, visit www.digitalmanga.com

About the Author
Hideyuki Kikuchi is one of Japan’s top horror writers. Over the past two decades, several of his works have been adapted into live-action and anime movies, including Vampire Hunter D and his first novel, Demon City Shinjuku. Drawing from such inspirations as Horror of Dracula, Kikuchi has spawned over 20 novels in his Vampire Hunter D series.

About the Illustrator
Saiko Takaki, a professional graphic designer, illustrator, and manga artist for close to a decade, has worked on numerous projects for the manga and game industry in Japan. A very close friend of the author, Hideyuki Kikuchi, Takaki was commissioned by DMP to undertake the daunting task of adapting his famous novel into manga form. Hand-picked by Kikuchi himself, Takaki has proven to be one of Japan’s up and coming manga horror artists.

“Takaki’s artwork is dynamic, expressive and remarkably detailed yet flows effortlessly as if you are watching rather than reading this story, it is engaging and you find yourself at the end before you’ve even realized it leaving you wanting more.” -SciFi Online

“…stands in the very small circle of great vampire comics.” -Comic Book Bin

Author: Carole Mortimer
Manga-ka: Hinoto Mori
Publisher: Harlequin K.K./SOFTBANK Creative Corp.
Rating: Older Teen (16+)

Synopsis: “Out of the blue, Leonie is asked by Rachel, a renowned actress, to write her biography. Although she has published a biography once before, she has no idea why Rachel chose her as the author. Her doubts about the job deepen with Rachel’s son, Luke, who for some reason relentlessly intimidates her. As Rachel was unmarried when giving birth to Luke, it was one of the biggest scandals at the time. While being aware of his hostile attitude, Leonie is drawn to his cold green eyes, and she decides to accept the job…”

I’ve read a few Harlequin romance manga before and wasn’t that impressed, so I admit I went into Keeping Luke’s Secret with a bit of a bias against it. To the manga’s credit, it managed to hook me from page one and keep me reading until the end. While there are several gaping holes in the plot, I was more concerned with what would happen next when I was reading rather than the inconsistency in each reveal.

Leonie is a historian who has published a biography of her grandfather. One day out of the blue, a famous movie star asks her to write her biography. One thing I liked about this manga is that it started the story right away, with Leonie meeting Rachel at her mansion. It was this ‘in medias res’ opening that got me interested enough to keep reading.

On page one, Leonie meets Luke, Rachel’s son, and right away they don’t like each other. It’s pretty common in romances for the two leads to dislike each other at first, though at least in Keeping Luke’s Secret they have their reasons. Leonie thinks that Luke is a rude jerk, which is an accurate assessment as Luke is actually trying to push her away.

Luke has his reasons for trying to scare Leonie off. One of the things that will come out in Rachel’s biography is the identity of Luke’s father, and Luke is determined to keep it a secret. As Leonie spends more time working on Rachel’s biography, she and Luke grow closer and Luke becomes a little less mean and arrogant.

However, even as they come to care about each other, there are complications. Leonie is friends with Jeremy, a fellow professor at the university she works at. While they’re not going out, they have a close relationship and Leonie has to examine her feelings to see who she cares about more, Luke or Jeremy. One thing that helps her decision is that while Luke becomes nicer, Jeremy shows his true colours and becomes a bit of a jerk. The manga-ka does a good job of making this transition a believable one. Jeremy starts out as a nice guy, but as Leonie gets more involved with the biography his smiles become more like leers. He drops by Leonie’s house uninvited and seems less like a concerned friend and more like a creep. It helps that he never does anything really bad and become a flat-out villain – instead he’s just a jerk.

One bad thing about writing a review about this story is that it’s made me think more about the plot than is necessary. The more I think about it, the more unbelievable it seems. It turns out that the real reason Rachel wanted Leonie to write her biography was to force Luke to acknowledge his father. We never really delve into Luke’s feelings about his absent dad, leaving a big question mark to Luke’s motivations throughout the book. According to Rachel, Luke’s father doesn’t even know that Luke is his son, which is a plot hole so big that elephants could jump through it. The manga repeatedly states that when Rachel got pregnant and wouldn’t say who the father was, it was a huge scandal. If I were some guy who had been sleeping with a famous actress and it was all over the news that she was preggers, I would probably put two and two together and figure out that I was the dad. Either this guy avoided all media mention of the love of his life, or he has rocks for brains.

Also, while I’m thinking about these things, what exactly does Luke do? There’s some vague mention of him working in the movie business, but all he ever does in the manga is hang around his mother’s house.

The art is cute, in a standard shojo way. The character designs are nice and capture the characters well: Rachel is a dignified older actress not only in looks but in actions, and Jeremy is able to go from boy-next-door to creep without his basic look changing. My favourite though is Leonie. She’s far from ugly (c’mon, this is a Harlequin manga we’re talking about) but at the same time she’s not a stunning beauty either. She has genuinely messy hair and a tomboy’s mannerisms. It’s nice to see a (relatively) plain heroine as the lead in a romance manga.

The panel layouts keep the story going at a quick pace without rushing anything. It’s a delicate balance, but one the manga manages to keep up throughout. The dialogue reads well, though sometimes the text goes outside of the speech bubble.
Keeping Luke’s Secret was better than I expected it to be and I enjoyed reading it. The problem comes afterwards, when you realize that there are more holes than plot.

Review written March 31, 2010 by Shannon Fay
Digital copy provided by Digital Manga for review purposes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Gardena, CA (April 2, 2010) – Pop Japan Travel, the premier provider of pop culture-themed tours of Japan, is pleased to announce their latest tour for yaoi fans: the 2010 Fujoshi Paradise Tour.

Designed with the sizeable international fan base for yaoi in mind, the Fujoshi Paradise Tour isn’t just another tour of Tokyo. The tour is a full week of activities and experiences just for the yaoi fan, such as an exclusive meal at a butler cafe, and is hosted by tour guides from the yaoi publishing industry and yaoi fandom alike. Pop Japan Travel has also announced that famed manga creator Makoto Tateno, the creator of yaoi series like Hero Heel, Yellow and Blue Sheep Reverie will also be meeting with tour participants for a private Q&A session and a night out on the town.

“We are thrilled to have Tateno-sensei on the tour,” says Gigi Guiting, Pop Japan Travel Director of Operations. “She loves meeting her fans from overseas, so I am certain that the meeting will be unforgettable!” Guiting also mentioned that the tour has a number of extensions available for fans that want to check out traditionally famous Japanese sights, such as Mount Fuji and Kyoto.

To promote the tour, Pop Japan Travel has released the third in their series of commercials written and produced by the tour guides working for the company. The video parodies Japanese “radio dramas” that base themselves on manga, and features the work of tour guest Tateno. Fans can check out the video attached to this press release or on YouTube via the Pop Japan Travel Channel. (http://www.youtube.com/user/PopJapanTravel)

The Fujoshi Paradise tour is scheduled to take place from May 11 until May 17, with an optional extension to the city of Kyoto through May 19. The cost of the tour includes all accommodations, round trip airfare to Japan from Los Angeles, dinner at a butler cafe, the meeting with Tateno, full tours of Otome Road and other Tokyo hotspots, transportation, professional bilingual tour guides, entrance fees to all activities, and a customized guidebook created exclusively for the tour. People interested in taking the tour may visit http://www.popjapantravel.com/ or e-mail popjapantravel@gmail.com to sign up. All applications are due by April 11.

Author: Hideyuki Kikuchi
Manga-ka: Yong-Gwan
Publisher: Digital Manga
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: December 2009

Synopsis: “Traveling in-between the world of the living and the twilight world of the dead, Akamushi,the shaman is known as the Red Spider Exorcist. With the powers of a giant spider, he combats the demons of the netherworld. When career woman Megumi is suddenly pursued and attacked by unholy demons, she seeks Akamushi’s help. But as it seems, the minions of the underworld may also be too much for Akamushi to handle. But why are these creatures of twilight after her? What truths will unravel about her true self and everyone around her? And what of Akamushi—can he use his unique shamanic spider-like powers to cast out and purify himself from the demon scourge?”

An evening stroll soon takes a potentially disastrous turn for a young woman named Megumi who finds herself trailed by a group of suspicious men. Running into an alley, she’s steered towards the aid of a mysterious man named Akamushi, one whose prowess could prove more deadly than the very forces she seeks to escape from.

Akamushi, spider-demon by existence, gorgeous Nao-performer by sight, is an intriguing character. On one hand he appears to protect Megumi and moves with delicate finesse adorned in Shinto robes – on the other hand his piercing gaze and terrifying abilities betray a lot more about him then even Megumi is willing to acknowledge. Then again, why question the hand that saves you?

Still, it feels like Megumi should be a little more concerned than she is between occurrences. A little alcohol and an inkling in her subconscious as to what’s going on still doesn’t seem to excuse how remarkably calm she remains up until trouble brews. Though she could afford to be a little more concerned about her predicament, readers at least will likely finish this volume much more curious as to the who, what and whys. Thankfully we shouldn’t be in the dark too long as Megumi’s ‘protectors’ seem more in the know than Megumi seems apt to question even as one event after another occurs to ‘claim her’ for an unknown purpose.

The art is one of the book’s greatest strengths. It’s obviously the work of someone experienced in their field with good consistency and strong line work. The style itself plays more on the side of realism compared to most manga series and it compliments the story well. Easy to follow sequences and attractive (when intended) character designs make the read both coherent and appealing. The most impressive panels take place during the night against moonlight backdrops, utilizing fantastic perspective and shadows to really set a great tone, such as during Akamushi’s introduction during a late-night Noh stage performance.

This story contains its share of violence and sexual content, but nothing so explicit as to merit any warning past the book’s 16+ rating. On the amusing side of things, there’s the novelty of reading about a dominatrix pleasuring a captive girl with her snake and not be reading a hentai, though wondering how many readers will interpret that statement a variety of ways is fun in itself (Note: it’s quite literal).

On the publication side of things, the book has a solid look to it complete with grungy logo with cute little spiders with skull-bums for I-dots. The translation reads smoothly and the dialogue lettering is well handled. The book itself comes in a notable size, closer in dimension to the majority of manga releases on the market as opposed to the larger cut-sizes that the majority of Digital Manga’s library has.

Taimashin lacks a human element, potentially no pun intended, with Megumi failing to react as poignantly as perhaps she should. This hampers the intended suspense and stops Taimashin from being truly horrific. Still, there’s the beginning of a plot that could prove worth following, along with artwork that’s liable to leave readers tempted to continue on its mood merits alone. This first volume proved a somewhat shallow read for an execution that lacks compelling consequence but it should still prove a good read for the supernaturally inclined.

Review written March 14, 2010 by Lissa Pattillo
Book provided by Digital Manga for review purposes

On the one night in who-knows-how-long that I decide to go to bed a few hours early, Digital Manga goes and finally drops the F-word! You know the one, boys’ love fans. But I can’t complain about having good news to wake up to. Fans rejoice – Ayano Yamane’s popular Finders series is no longer in English-license limbo!

Digital Manga has announced that they will be releasing the Finders Series under their June boys’ love imprint. It looks like it’ll be printed at their 801Media cut-size. Digital Manga has  set up a website specific for the release at FinderSeries.com. Along with the press release, the site has short character bios and the series’ synopsis.

“While our on assignment trying to document the illegal activities of the Japanese underworld, the photographer Takaba crosses paths with the dark and mysterious leader Asami. Asami  takes Takaba captive, in an attempt to subjugate and possess him. But when the son of the Chinese mafia enters demanding evidence that Takaba may have, will Takaba be able to survive being caught in the crosshairs of a deadly underworld feud?”

The first volume of June’s edition of Finders will be in summer 2010 – which isn’t that far off from right now. It’s almost as if they were conveniently timing it for some event with overlapping interest…

Though the excitement over this news is already apparent, it’s been long-anticipated along with the concern from fans that by being published under the June imprint could mean that the Finder Series will face minor edits and censoring of the original work. Many assumed that because of the graphic nature of Finder Series it would be published under their 801Media imprint to avoid this (myself included admittedly), as they have with other of Ayano Yamane’s series. While Digital Manga has censored some of its June imprint work in the past, these edits were very minimal and this does not mean that the Finder Series will have changes.

Those interested in the news can check out Digital Manga’s complete press release which also includes word directly from Libre Shuppan, Japanese license-holders of the series.

As a short history lesson, the Finder Series was previously licensed by the now-defunct BeBeautiful which released three volumes of the 5-book series, all of which have spent years selling for inordinate amounts of money after they went out of print. Those who couldn’t afford $200 a book need weep no longer.

From our friends at Libre Shuppan:

We are pleased to announce that Kazuma Kodaka’s KIZUNA-絆- and Ayano Yamane’s Finder Series, both of which were previously licensed by Central Park Media, are now acquired by Digital Manga Publishing (DMP). For these series, all volumes will be newly translated and will be published under DMP’s June imprint. Finder Series is set to be released in Summer of 2010 and Kizuna is scheduled for September of 2010.
For further inquiries regarding this matter, feel free to contact us at rights@libre-pub.co.jp or Digital Manga Inc, at contact@emanga.com We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for reading our books and for your continued support.
FINDER VOL. 1: TARGET IN THE VIEWFINDER, Rated M+ (for ages 18+), MSRP: $13.95, Available: SUMMER 2010, SIZE: B6, June’ Imprint

While out on assignment trying to document the illegal activities of the Japanese underworld, photographer Takaba crosses paths with the dark and mysterious leader Asami. Asami takes Takaba captive, in an attempt to subjugate and possess him. But when the son of the Chinese mafia enters demanding evidence that Takaba may have, will Takaba be able to survive being caught in the crosshairs of a deadly underworld feud?

ABOUT DIGITAL MANGA PUBLISHING

Located in Gardena, CA, Digital Manga Publishing is one of the industry’s most unconventional and innovative companies, specializing in building corporate and cultural bridges from Japan to the Western Hemisphere – specifically through the licensing, importation and preparation of anime (Japanese animation), manga (Japanese comic books) and related merchandise for the North American mainstream and subculture markets. In this capacity, DMI serves as a catalyst for the expansion of Japanese pop culture institutions into global arenas. The company’s imprint line includes DMP: its mainstream imprint, DMP PLATINUM: its classic manga imprint, JUNE´: its boys love imprint, 801 MEDIA: its adult boys love imprint, and DokiDoki: its exclusive co-publishing imprint with Shinshokan Publishing.
For more information about Digital Manga Publishing, visit www.digitalmanga.com

ABOUT LIBRE SHUPPAN

Located in Japan, Libre Shuppan is the publisher of Be-Boy, Be-Boy Gold, Junk! Boy and Kurofune Zero. Taking their name from “lib” in Latin for book and liberty, they hope to spread the message to “be free”, and “read lots of books”. Libre has strived to create unique and one of a kind content for the benefit of all their readers.
For more information about Libre Shuppan, visit: www.libre-pub.co.jp