Just discovered Attack on Titan? Wondering what all the fuss is about? Brigid Alverson has you covered with an in-depth article discussing the characters, settings, and numerous spin-off products inspired by this world-wide phenomenon. ICv2 lists the ten best-selling manga properties of the fall 2014/holiday season. Not surprisingly, Attack on Titan tops the list. What is surprising: the […]
About Katherine Dacey
Katherine Dacey has been reviewing manga since 2006, when she joined PopCultureShock. Over the next two years, she worked with webmaster Jon Haehnle and fellow contributor Erin Finnegan to transform Erin’s “Manga Recon” concept from a bi-monthly column into a full-fledged website covering manga, anime, and Japanese pop culture. She stepped down from her post in January 2009. Kate’s resume also includes serving as a panelist at the American Library Association's national conference, New York Comic-Con, and Wondercon; contributing to Chopsticks, a “comprehensive guide to Japanese culture in New York City”; and contributing to the School Library Journal’s Good Comics for Kids blog, where she writes Good Manga for Kids, a column that focuses on manga for pre-teen readers. When she isn’t writing about manga, Kate swings a golf club, plays the oboe, runs long distances, watches old movies, and frolicks with her dog Grendel. Kate lives in Boston, MA.
VIZ Acquires Ultraman and My Hero Academia
Big news from VIZ: the publisher has licensed Ultraman, a manga update of the 1960s TV show. Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi’s story focuses on the original hero’s son, a seemingly ordinary teen who discovers that he’s inherited his father’s superpowers. Look for the first volume of Ultraman in August alongside the first volume of VIZ’s other new acquisition, My […]
Manga Over Flowers
Twelve years after completing Boys Over Flowers, manga-ka Yoko Kamio is hard at work on a sequel, Sunshine After Flowers: Flower Boys Next Season. The new series will be released simultaneously in English and Japanese via the web; Heart of Manga has more details. Look for the first chapter on February 15th. The latest installments […]
New Shojo Beat Titles Announced
VIZ announced two new acquisitions: Kyousuke Motomi’s QQ Sweeper, and Arina Tanemura’s Idol Dreams. Both manga will be published under the Shojo Beat imprint, and will debut in fall 2015. Speaking of new licenses, Crunchyroll just added Persona Q Shadow of the Labyrinth: Side P4 to its manga line-up. Never underestimate a ninja’s powers: volume 68 of Naruto ranked […]
Noteworthy Manga of 2015
In a recent poll, Japanese retailer Honya Club asked bookstore workers, “What manga should we read in 2015?” Topping the list of recommendations was The Ancient Magus’ Bride (which has been licensed by Seven Seas) and My Hero Academia. On the strength of the cover art alone, I’d love to see Takadaike no Hitobito licensed: Is the end […]
Katsuhiro Otomo Nabs Top Honor at Angoulême
Katsuhiro Otomo (AKIRA, Domu: A Child’s Dream) just won the Grand Prix at the 42nd annual Festival d’Angoulême, beating out Watchman creator Alan Moore for the honor. You spoke, they listened: DMP just announced a Kickstarter campaign to publish Osamu Tezuka’s Alabaster, a dark thriller about an invisible man on a crime spree. The Manga […]
Rin-ne Anime Debuts in April
Coming soon to the NHK: the first episode of Rin-ne, which will air on April 4th. Rin-ne is Rumiko Takahashi’s eighth series to be adapted for television. French filmmakers announced plans to bring Jiro Taniguchi’s Everest drama Summit of the Gods to the big screen. The latest installment of Finder bumps Unofficial Hatsune Mix and Attack on Titan from the top […]
Manga Star Wars Coming to a Galaxy Near You
If the phrase “manga Star Wars” is music to your ears, you’ll be happy to learn that ComiXology has just reissued manga adaptations of the original trilogy and The Phantom Menace. (Hey, the manga’s gotta be better than Episode One, right?) According to the Yano Research Institute, manga accounted for almost 80% of the overall digital book market […]
New Licenses from Kodansha
Kodansha just announced a large slate of new manga for 2015, including more Attack on Titan products–no, really!–as well as an interesting assortment of seinen, shojo, and shonen series. Here is a brief round-up of the eight titles that will be coming to a bookstore near you this year: Appleseed α (Masamune Shirow and Kuroda Iou): A prequel […]
Bookmarked! The Best Manga of 2014
File this week’s Bookmarked! column under the heading Better Late Than Never. Brigid and I sat down this week to review our favorite manga of 2014, from swashbuckling Viking sagas to goofy shojo comedies. We also chatted about the series we thought we’d love but didn’t, and looked ahead to potential candidates for the Best […]
VIZ Rescues More CLAMP Titles
Pull up a chair and pour yourself a strong cup of coffee–today’s super-sized post rounds up the best news stories, manga reviews, and personal essays from around the web! VIZ is reissuing two CLAMP titles from the Tokyopop catalog: Duklyon: CLAMP School Defenders and Shirahime-Syo: Snow Goddess. As with VIZ’s other Tokyopop license rescues, Duklyon and Shirahime-Syo […]
Quick Reviews and Links, 1/2/15
Did you receive an Amazon or RightStuf gift certificate this holiday? If so, this post is for you! Below, I’ve reviewed the first volumes of three series that debuted in 2014, offering a quick-and-dirty assessment of each. Already read Food Wars? Fear not–I’ve also rounded up reviews from around the web to help you find the […]
Review: Assassination Classroom, Vol. 1
Assassination Classroom, Vol. 1 By Yusei Matsui Rated T+, for Older Teens VIZ Media, $9.99 Here in the US, we steadfastly believe that all students need to succeed are a few good teachers–think of how many movies you’ve seen about an unorthodox educator who helps a group of misfits, losers, or underachievers realize their full potential against all […]
Quick Friday Manga Links
Once again, the fifth volume of Monster Musume tops the New York Times’ Manga Bestseller list, followed by the latest installments of Fairy Tail, Attack on Titan, and xxxHolic Rei, CLAMP’s sort-of sequel to xxxHolic. Will the Kickstarter campaign for Ludwig B. reach its goal of $21,000? Johanna Draper Carlson investigates. The Manga Bookshelf gang […]
VIZ Nabs New Junji Ito Manga
Exciting news: VIZ will publish Junji Ito’s latest manga, Fragments of Horror, in 2015. VIZ promises that Fragments has something for everyone, “from the terrifying to the comedic, from the erotic to the loathsome.” Look for a hardcover edition next summer. The latest volume of Monster Musume edges out Attack on Titan for the top spot […]
