The final week of March may not have brought warm weather or flowers to your neck of the woods, but it did yield a few licensing announcements from Seven Seas; an update on the publication status of Okinawa; a preview of the forthcoming Rick and Morty manga; a press release confirming that Ooku: The Inner Chambers is coming to Netflix; and news that Junji Ito’s “Bloodsucking Darkness” is being adapted into a film by Fangoria Studios. The Guardian also ran an interesting piece about France’s long-time love affair with anime and manga. Among the most interesting tidbits I gleaned from the article is that 55% of all comics sold in France in 2021 were Japanese in origin. (Kudos to the Guardian‘s editorial team; the headline is, as the French might say, magnifique.) Also of note: school children in Hiroshima will no longer read Keiji Nakazawa’s Barefoot Gen after the city’s municipal school board determined that assigning students “a partial extract of the work makes it difficult to convey the true nature of the atomic bombing.”
AROUND THE WEB….
Over at the Sports Baka substack, Ichi offers an in-depth look at Run On Your New Legs, a story about an amputee who falls in love with running after getting fitted for a new prosthetic. [Sports Baka]
Erica Friedman files a report from Comiket, where she’s researching the current state of the yuri market, and meeting other yuri enthusiasts. [Okazu]
Speaking of conventions, Jocelyne Allen shares some of the doujinshi that she collected before the pandemic. [Brain vs. Book]
The staff at AniFem want to know what queer manga and anime are bringing you joy right now. [Anime Feminist]
Louis Kemner makes the case that Lemon Irvine is the best female character in Mashle: Magic and Muscles, and deserves a more prominent role in the anime adaptation. [CBR]
If, like me, you’re not always excited to learn your favorite manga has been turned into an anime, you’re not alone. [CBR]
Lisa De La Cruz winds down her March Manga Madness series with a look at two CLAMP one-shots: Shirahime-Syo: Snow Goddess Tales and The Legend of Chun-Hyang. [The Wonder of Anime]
REVIEWS
If you missed Mari Yamazaki’s delightful Thermae Romae the first time around, let Adam Symchuk’s thoughtful review persuade you to pick up the new omnibus edition. “The heart of Thermae Romae is a beautiful celebration of the baths themselves, and an understanding of the integral role they have in the social/politcal landscape of both countries,” he notes. “Mari Yamazaki brilliantly uses the light humor of her story to convey the importance of springs, and draws connections between the two cultures that create a familiarity that transcends time and location.”
The latest Reader’s Corner is now live at Beneath the Tangles, offering short, incisive reviews of In the Land of Leadale, Touring After the Apocalypse, and The Villainess Stans the Heroes.
NEW AND NOTEWORTHY
- Ayashimon, Vol. 1 (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)
- Cut-Over Criteria (Eve Healy)
- The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses, Vol. 1 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
- Hi-Score Girl, Vols. 1-4 (Grant Jones, ANN)
- I Fell for a Fujoshi, Vol. 1 (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)
- Insomniacs After School, Vol. 1 (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
- Ogi’s Summer Break, Vol. 1 (Sarah, Anime UK News)
- The Other-Worlder, Exploring the Dungeon, Vol. 1 (Ivanir Ignacchitti, Noisy Pixel)
- She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat, Vol. 1 (Kevin T. Rodriguez, The Fandom Post)
- Snow Fairy (Eve Healy)
- Sweat and Soap, Vols. 1-6 (Danica Davidson, Otaku USA)
- Tombs: Junji Ito Story Collection (MrAJCosplay, ANN)
- Tombs: Junji Ito Story Collection (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
- Tombs: Junji Ito Story Collection (Kyle Clark, Noisy Pixel)
- The Villainess Stans the Heroes, Vol. 1 (Ivanir Ignacchitti, Noisy Pixel)
COMPLETE AND ONGOING SERIES
- BB Explosion (Megan D., The Manga Test Drive)
- Beauty and the Feast, Vol. 7 (Krystallina, The OASG)
- Blue Box, Vol. 3 (vanir Ignacchitti, Noisy Pixel)
- Coffee Moon, Vol. 2 (Azario Lopez, Noisy Pixel)
- The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses, Vol. 2 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
- Gyo (SKJAM! Reviews)
- Hirano and Kagiura, Vol. 2 (Sarah, Anime UK News)
- Mint Chocolate, Vol. 7 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
- Re:Zero: Starting Life in Another World: The Frozen Bond, Vol. 3 (Azario Lopez)
- Rent-A-Girlfriend, Vols. 15-16 (Demelza, Anime UK News)
- SHY, Vol. 2 (Azario Lopez, Noisy Pixel)
- Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moves to a Starter Town, Vol. 7 (Demelza, Anime UK News)
- Vampeerz, Vol. 2 (Christian LeBlanc, Okazu)
- Villains Are Destined to Die, Vol. 2 (Noemi 10, Anime UK News)
- Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 10 (Sara Smith, The Graphic Library)