Yet another Anime NYC has come and gone, bringing with it a raft of licensing announcements from Azuki, Kodansha, Seven Seas, and Yen Press. While most reports from the show floor were positive, The Beat’s Ricardo Serrano Denis noted that the convention suffered from some of the same issues that plagued it before the pandemic. “One thing I thought was seriously underrepresented in the 2019 show was manga and anime booths, places to acquire them,” he noted. “For an anime convention, I felt the number of booths dedicated to the medium were on the slimmer side of things. Fast forward to 2022, a whole pandemic later, and those same shortcomings are still accounted for, perhaps even worse so.” Other attendees gave mixed marks to the panels, noting that the Spy x Family session lasted a mere 30 minutes, while the online ticketing for the Attack on Titan event was marred by computer glitches and limited seating. Still, many folks left satisfied. Summarizing her experience at Anime NYC, for example, Erica Friedman observed there’s more great yuri anime and manga than ever before, noting how many vendors were prominently displaying series such as Lilies and The Executioner and Her Way of Life.
NEWS AND VIEWS
Looking for a great deal on manga or anime? Krystallina has you covered with an extensive list of Black Friday deals. [The OASG]
Mary Lee Sauder jumps in the WABAC machine for a look at the ani-manga craze of the early 2000s. [Honey’s Anime]
Over at Women Write About Comics, Carrie McClain sifts through a batch of new releases from Seven Seas, including I’m a Terminal Cancer Patient, But I’m Fine, The Savior’s Book Café in Another World, and The Titan’s Bride. [WWAC]
The latest essay at Sports Baka focuses on Gunjo no fanfare (Fanfare of Adolescence), a series about “a rich ensemble of teenage characters who, except for their common goal to become jockeys, couldn’t be more different.” [Sports Baka]
The Mangasplainers are all business this week with an in-depth look at Division Chief Kosaku Shima, a salaryman manga from the 1980s. [Mangasplaining]
Psyche Kale exposes the not-so-hidden sexism of Claymore. “Consistently, when given the chance to treat its characters with grace, to give them control of the story, to have their struggles understood, to have their humanity appreciated, Claymore chooses to undermine itself with a juvenile emphasis on unnecessary carnage, a lack of interest in the inner worlds of the characters depicted, and a callousness to their emotional suffering. And it sucks,” they observe. “For many it was the first time they saw a female protagonist in an anime or manga that was allowed the spotlight, who could fight and kill as well as anyone else, who was allowed to get beat up instead of wilting like a dainty flower. There’s still merit in those experiences, and moments of the story where it knows what it’s doing and how to give its female characters that grace and to focus on their emotions.” [Anime Feminist]
REVIEWS
Rebecca Silverman reviews Be Very Afraid of Kanako Inuki, arguing that this short-story anthology feels more “like a sampler rather than a full collection in its own right,” but asserts that “Inuki is a creator worth knowing, and if you’re a fan of Kazuo Umezz and Junji Ito, this is well worth checking out.” Over at The Manga Test Drive, Megan D. takes Naoki Urasawa’s Pluto for a spin. “Pluto works as both a tribute to a classic and as a stand-alone mystery,” she opines. “You don’t need to be familiar with Astro Boy to understand the story, but if you do you’ll be able to appreciate just how Urasawa adapts it for modern tastes.”
- Beastars, Vols. 20-21 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
- Black Paradox (Danica Davidson, Otaku USA)
- Confessions of a Shy Baker, Vol. 1 (Sarah, Anime UK News)
- The Elusive Samurai, Vols. 2-3 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
- Gate Keepers, Vol. 1 (SKJAM, SKJAM! Reviews)
- Hi, I’m a Witch and My Crush Wants Me to Make a Love Potion, Vol. 1 (Danica Davidson, Otaku USA)
- How Do We Relationship?, Vol. 7 (Matt Marcus, Okazu)
- I Fell for My Friend’s Older Sister + My Older Sister’s Friend Is Annoying (MrAJCosplay, Anime News Network)
- Kamen Rider Kuuga, Vol. 1 (Christopher Farris, Anime News Network)
- Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Another Story, Vol. 1 (Claire, Beneath the Tangles)
- An Older Guy’s VR First Love (Demelza, Anime UK News)
- Scramblues (Demelza, Anime UK News)
- Shadows House, Vol. 1 (Danica Davidson, Otaku USA)
- Tomb Raider King, Vol. 1 (Brett Michael Orr, Honey’s Anime)
- Tokyo Aliens, Vol. 1 (Demelza, Anime UK News)
- Unnamed Memory, Vol. 1 (Harry, Honey’s Anime)