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Upcoming 11/2/2011

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Like that house in the neighborhood that always offers the best haul on Halloween, the ComicList has lots of appealing choices this week. I’ll focus on three.

I doubt it will be a barrel of laughs, but I’m eager to read No Longer Human (Vertical), Usumaru Furuya’s adaptation of Osamu Dazai’s acclaimed, apparently depressing novel. I haven’t read it, but the book was heavily featured in Mizuki Nomura’s Book Girl and the Suicidal Mime (Yen Press), which was awesome. Furuya’s work is always interesting to me, even if I don’t particularly like it, if that makes sense.

I was pleasantly surprised by the first volume of Bloody Monday (Kodansha Comics), which overcame the total familiarity of its teen-hacker plot with rock-solid execution. Volume two is due tomorrow.

And oh, mighty Isis, is that the fifth volume of The Story of Saiunkoku (Viz) I see? It is! Okay, so I already bought this at the bookstore over the weekend. I’m still excited for the seven people who buy it through their local comic shop.

Over at the partially snow-bound Manga Bookshelf, a weather-reduced Battle Robot offers its Pick of the Week and some Bookshelf Briefs. We’ll take a week off from The Favorites Alphabet this week and devote all of our energy to hoping that our afflicted members get their power back soon.

 

Urameshiya Volume 1

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Urameshiya Volume 1 by Makiko

Available online at Jmanga.com

I was hoping to cover more scary manga for the month of October and the horror themed Manga Moveable feast, but life got in the way and the only new spooky title I’ve managed to read recently is Urameshiya from jmanga.com. This is a historical variation on what I tend to call “spooky shop” manga, where a person with spiritual powers has to intervene in the lives of people who are affected by ghosts. It is a snowy night in Edo era Japan, and an attractive woman named Oyou has used up her welcome and the sake supply at a local tavern. The owner apologies and says that he has to ask her not to come anymore because she’s scaring the other guests. She leaves with the advice that he should throw some salt at the ghost that is standing in a corner and heads out into the night. A handsome man who turns out to be a not overly bright pickpocket stumbles against her. She catches him in the act and tells him that he has to buy her sake to make it up to her. Saji decides that he’ll put a different spin on things by taking her to his house and getting her drunk.

As they travel they cross a bridge with a lonely female ghost. Oyou prevents Saji from getting trapped and they end up spending the night together, but one of Saji’s neighbors turns up frozen to death after listening to the spirit. Saji asks Oyou for help getting back at the ghost that killed his friend. What follows are three long episodes where Oyou and Saji form an incongruous ghost-busting team. Oyou is mysterious and a bit snarky, never confirming her feelings for Saji. In contrast, he’s quietly smitten. He decides to move in with her into the spooky tenement that seems to be inhabited only by freaks of nature. They deal with a case of wronged love, a rapacious rich girl cursed with vagina dentata, and have an unfortunate run-in with a young fox spirit. I really enjoyed the art style in Urameshiya, which is old fashioned and stylized in a way that highlights the historical setting. Oyou and Saji both have glossy black hair, long flowing robes, and angular faces with gigantic eyes. Saji provides Oyou with a bit of a grounding influence, tying her to the real world. For all that Oyou protests that she cares nothing for the young thief, she’s actually incredibly protective of him if he’s threatened. Having only three chapters in a single volume seemed to give the author the room to more thoroughly set the scene for each episode. I enjoyed the relationship between Oyou and Saji, the space given to each monster of the week, and the historical setting of Urameshiya. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for the next volume in this series.

Random weekend question: costume drama

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Okay, here’s the obligatory Halloween-themed random weekend question: if resources and logistics were no object, what manga character would you emulate for your costume? While it seems fairly easy, I’d probably go with Osamu Tezuka’s Black Jack. Now, I know you’re probably thinking that’s fairly simple — a trench coat, a wig, a few scars drawn on with an eyebrow pencil, and you’re finished. But that coat would take some wicked tailoring, and I’d want the whole armory of surgical tools in the lining, just for the effect.

 

Halloween Week 3.0!

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It’s that time again! The third annual Soliloquy in Blue Halloween Week begins today, October 25, and continues through October 31. As before, I’ll be posting daily reviews of novels and comics with a supernatural bent. Some may be cute and fluffy, some may be genuinely creepy, but all will fit the general theme.

Each year I solicit ideas for future Halloween reading, so if you’ve got a favorite book or comic that you’d recommend, please leave a comment below! Last year I was able to tackle two reader-suggested works—The Mystery of Udolpho and Gyo—and this year I shall have two more in The Witch Family and Uzumaki.

Here’s this week’s menu. I’ll update with links as they become available.

Uzumaki, Vols. 1-3 by Junji Ito
Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
Haunted House by Mitsukazu Mihara
The Witch Family by Eleanor Estes
Yurara, Vols. 1-5 by Chika Shiomi
The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury (OMG, I really tried but Bradbury takes the lyrical language to such an extreme that I veered between feeling very sleepy and feeling very annoyed. It’s exceedingly rare that I do not finish a book, but I was practically physically incapable of doing so in this case.)

The Let’s Get Visual column planned for this week was unfortunately delayed due to weather-induced power outage and will appear at a later date.

My contributions to this week’s Off the Shelf will fit the theme, as well, and the whole Manga Bookshelf gang will get in the spirit for a horror-centric installment of The Favorites Alphabet and a special Halloween edition of Bookshelf Briefs.

I hope y’all will enjoy all this as much as I do!

Upcoming 10/26/2011

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Thank goodness Viz is taking the week off on the ComicList, because a couple of other publishers are really bringing it.

The first volume of Drops of God, written by Tadashi Agi and illustrated by Shu Okimoto, arrives courtesy of Vertical. This series has the interesting distinction of having been covered by dozens of newspapers prior to ever being licensed. (And those articles were subsequently picked up via service by hundreds of other newspapers.) This phenomenon occurred because the manga has boosted the wine industry wherever it’s been published. Will that occur here? Will Wine Spectator feature it in the next issue? Hard to say, but I’m really looking forward to reading this tale of a race to find a roster of legendary vintages. (I’ll probably stick with Three-Buck Chuck myself, but at least I’ll know what I’m missing.)

Vertical also unleashes the seventh volume of Kanata Konami’s Chi’s Sweet Home, so you can balance rare wine with adorable pets.

Not to be outdone in the cute and funny department, Yen Press delivers the tenth volume of Kiyohiko Azuma’s Yotsuba&! I predict low-key, identifiable antics will ensue, and that I will probably giggle.

I also predict that my jaw will drop at the quantity and quality of pretty contained within the second volume of Kaoru Mori’s A Bride’s Story. I discussed this in more detail last week at Manga Bookshelf, though I couldn’t muster a Midtown-dependent pick this week. I did manage to provide a couple of Bookshelf Briefs.

Kodansha isn’t quite as impressive in its generosity, but it does offer the 11th volume of Koji Kumeta’s very funny Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei, which is not to be overlooked. (In other Kodansha news, I thought the first volume of Mardock Scramble was fairly promising, and I barely escaped the first volume of the unbearably shrill Animal Land with my sanity intact, but more on that later.)

So, what looks good to you?

 

Sherlock Holmes Volume 1

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Sherlock Holmes Volume 1 by Toya Ataka
One volume available on Jmanga.com

This shonen mystery manga creates a breezy and fun mash-up of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries combined with fantasy fighting elements. I was pleasntly surprised by the Sherlock Holmes adventures in this manga, which were made more entertaining by a genuinely creepy mystery and an irreverent approach in portraying the classic characters of Holmes and Watson. Here, Watson is an alarmingly competent and somewhat sarcastic tall drink of water, who affects a checkered eye patch that goes well with the checkered accents on his vest. Holmes is a tiny teenage whiz kid with a mystical shadow power that provides him with heightened powers of perception. Poor Holmes is also unable to control his tendency to blush. The first case the duo is tasked to solve hooks the reader effectively. A popular actress dies after giving a performance, with her teeth mysteriously disappearing before she drops dead in front of her audience. There are no witnesses to the crime, and Watson and Holmes have to piece together what happened as they interview the actresses patron and stumble across a creepy piece of jewelry.

Part of the fun of this manga for me was seeing the roles of Holmes and Watson swapped so effectively. Watson is worldly and sarcastic, taking the lead on the cases but having Holmes use his mystical powers to aid in the investigation. While Holmes is young and inexperienced, he’s still powerful and doesn’t hang back from taking initiative. Holmes’ shadow powers are illustrated effectively as his eyes turn into photo negative images when he calls on his shadow. Having mystical fight scenes take the place of more cerebral detection is only to be expected in a shonen version of Sherlock Holmes, but I found the entire volume entertaining. I’ll be on the lookout for the second volume.

Call for contributors

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With autumn well underway and NYCC pretty well wrapped up, it’s time to do a little gussying up here at Manga Bookshelf! We’ve got a new full-time blogger on deck to join us shortly and we aren’t seeking more, but we’ve still got ample room for regular contributors.

Join us!

Got a great idea for a weekly or monthly column? Send us your pitch! Contact us with the following:

Your name
Your pitch
Links to 2 samples of similar writing you’ve done

Your pitch should include a theme for your column, a general outline for the column’s inaugural entry, how often you’d write it (weekly or monthly), and how you envision maintaining its theme over time. If your idea is a one-shot or short series of posts, please indicate that as well. We are particularly interested in columns that offer something different than what we do now, including types of comics we don’t currently cover or other aspects of Japanese or Korean pop culture, especially if these things can be tied in to comics (example: Cathy Yan’s Don’t Fear the Adaptation). Please allow at least four weeks for a response.

At this time, we are unable to offer monetary compensation for contributors, but we look forward to doing so in the future.

If you’re not a writer, but you’d like to support the site, click here to find out how!

Cross Game Volume 4

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Cross Game Volume 4 by Mitsuru Adachi

Picking up and reading Cross Game feels like a mini vacation sometimes. Adachi’s slow pacing and emphasis on everyday life creates a manga with a very natural tone and pacing, where events in the character’s lives pass by without artificial emotional drama. Ko starts working on his dream of getting to Koshien in earnest, as he starts playing regular high school baseball. Aoba’s handsome and athletic cousin Mizuki starts to attend Seishu Gakuen High School, sending most of the girls in the school into a tizzy until it is clear that the focus of his attention is Aoba. One of the ways Aoba and Ko are similar is the way they are somewhat oblivious to their own skills and attraction. Aoba goes on a date with Mizuki without being aware that there might be any romantic undercurrents, and Ko’s unassuming and hard working despite the fact that key people around him think he’s a baseball savant.

Ace hitter Azuma is so funny with his extremely narrow focus. He’s discussing a batter on a rival team and recalls his name, Keitaro Mishima, but he has absolutely no memory of one of his former teammates who has transferred schools. Mishima is forced to play down his full potential in order to not show up a senior player. Ko and Aoba continue their antagonistic relationship, but they also have moments of perfect understanding. When Aoba is standing alone on the pitcher’s mound Ko quietly walks towards home base and settles into catcher’s position, saying “You wanted to pitch, didn’t you?” When the Seishu Gakuen team plays against Sannou, they’ve been thoroughly scouted beforehand. The opposing team coach sees Ko’s inconsistent pitching and concludes that there isn’t much to his game while Aoba says while she’s watching in the stands “Guess he decided that he needed a little fielding practice.” The Seishu coach watches the game unfold with perfect equanimity, because while his team might have been scouted they are so new at playing together that they can’t help but be surprising.

One of my favorite moments in this volume of Cross Game happened towards the end of the volume, when Ko and Azuma are walking together discussing their upcoming game. Ko makes the pronouncement “I just have to pitch a game that Aoba won’t hell at me about.” Azuma’s typical poker face shifts infinitesimally and Ko asks “Was that a smile?” Azuma replies “Nope…I did not smile.” These little moments of character interaction set against the backgrounds of the playing fields and sky are what makes Cross Game so special. I’m still thoroughly gripped by this story.

NYCC: What’s new in manga?

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Digital distribution was the primary thread running through announcements from manga publishers at this year’s New York Comic Con, but it wasn’t the only thing to get excited about. For detailed coverage of each day’s panels, be sure to spend some time with Sean’s write-ups of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Below is a list of highlights from attending manga publishers (Note: neither Dark Horse nor Bandai Entertainment offered any new manga announcements).

Kodansha Comics

With visiting mangaka Hiro Mashima in attendance, much of Kodansha’s panel time was spent letting him woo the crowd with his charming personality and artistic skill. Happily, they offered a wealth of new manga announcements as well. Here’s the rundown:

Attack on Titan – “Humanity has been devastated by the bizarre, giant humanoids known as the Titans. Little is known about where they came from or why they are bent on consuming humanity. Seemingly unintelligent, they have roamed the world killing off humankind for years. For the past century, what’s left of mankind has hidden in a giant, three-walled city. People believe their 100-meter-high walls will protect them from the Titans, which are 10 to 20 meters tall. But the sudden appearance of an immense Titan is about to change everything.” (June, 2012)

Genshiken Omnibus – “Welcome to the world of the Genshiken, home of the true otaku – the Japanese term for ubergeek. This is the story of a group of friends who are all members of the most hardcore anime and manga fan club in all of Tokyo – and the girls who love them.” (May, 2012)

Kitchen Princess Omnibus – “Najika has always known how to cook. She understands food, and how it touches people’s hearts. But she herself has always been looking for more. When she was a child, she met a boy who touched her heart, and now Najika has set out to find this boy. The only clue she has is a silver spoon that leads to the prestigious Seika Academy. Fitting in at Seika will be a challenge. Every kid in Najika’s class has a special talent, and the girls at the school think Najika’s not worthy. But Sora and Daichi, two popular brothers who barely speak to each other, recognize Najika’s cooking for what it is — magical. Is either boy Najika’s mysterious prince? ” (June, 2012)

Kodansha Comics iPad App – Kodansha Comics joins the digital revolution with their own iPad app, which launched officially during the convention. We’ll have a full review in our next edition of Going Digital, but in the meantime, here’s the pitch: “Kodansha USA Publishing is proud to announce the debut of the Kodansha Comics app, appearing at midnight tonight in the iTunes store. The app was created by Random House, Inc.’s digital content team on behalf of Kodansha, a Random House Publisher Services division client. It will be free to download, with most volumes priced for sale at $4.99. The Kodansha Comics iPad app will launch with 34 books covering four series: Arisa by Natsumi Ando; Fairy Tail by Hiro Mashima; Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei by Koji Kumeta; and Until the Full Moon by Sanami Matoh. Additional series will be added to the app in the near future.”

Be sure to check out their special launch promotion, featuring all fifteen volumes of Hiro Mashima’s Fairy Tail for $2.99 each.

Vertical, Inc.

Vertical may still be lagging digitally, but they announced several exciting new licenses for 2012.

5 Centimeters Per Second – Adapted from Makoto Shinkai’s anime feature, this stands out as my favorite surprise license of the convention. When I first watched this film, all I wanted to do when it ended was to start it all over again. This story of separation and loneliness may be a bit messier than Shinkai’s earlier, similarly-themed Voices of a Distant Star, but it affected me more personally.

The first of the movie’s three sections hit me the hardest, and I wrote of it at the time, “The second and third chapters resonate deeply with me too… but it is the first I keep coming back to. It is Takaki’s journey on the train that stays with me constantly. I feel that I could watch this film over and over and it would never become tired to me.” Whether the manga adaptation is as strong remains to be seen, but it ran in Kodansha’s Afternoon, which speaks well for it indeed. (June 2012)

Sakuran – There has been twitter speculation about this license for a while, and it’s exciting to see the speculation become real! I’ll let David speak for me here. “Now, how did I go through all those license requests without ever hitting upon Moyoco (Hataraki Man) Anno’s Sakuran? Looking back, the one-volume title from Kodansha’s Evening received only a scant mention in The Seinen Alphabet. Let’s pretend that I’ve been begging for it all along, because it certainly feels like a request fulfilled.” (July, 2012)

Message to Adolph – Having come into the world of manga so late, it’s a pleasure to see publishers recently re-issuing manga I missed the first time around, especially when that manga was written by the likes of Osamu Tezuka. Originally published here by Viz (as Adolph), it has been long out of print. Now, Vertical adds this tale of three Adolphs to their impressive Tezuka library. (August, 2012)

Viz Media

Viz made the trek from the west coast this year for the first time in a while, bringing with them a number of announcements, including these licenses:

Loveless – Though I’ve never read Loveless, a popular series from Yun Kouga—already a favorite of mine—it’s apparently time to start. Viz has picked up the license where TOKYOPOP left off, starting with volume nine. As Sean says in his Day Three post, “This title runs in Ichijinsha’s Comic Zero-Sum, and is another of those ‘not quite BL but has many BL elements’ series. It’s still running in Japan, and I think fans will be excited about this.” No word at this time about whether Viz might re-release the earlier volumes at any point. (June, 2012)

Jiu Jiu – From the pages of Hana to Yume, Jiu Jiu is the story of a girl who comes from a family of demon hunters and the two werewolves who protect her. This looks to be set in high school, which wasn’t what I expected when reading the initial setup. Sounds like fun! (July, 2012)

For details on all of Viz’s NYCC announcements, manga or otherwise, check out Brigid Alverson’s coverage at MTV Geek.

Now for the really big news…

Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha – Certainly one of the biggest manga revelations at the con, Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha is “a weekly serial anthology of some of the most popular manga series in the world: Bakuman｡, Bleach, Naruto, Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, One Piece, and Toriko. The first issue of Weekly SJ Alpha goes on sale January 30, 2012, and will be available through VIZManga.com and the VIZ Manga apps for iPhone™, iPod™ touch and iPad™.” These chapters will be coming out just two weeks after publication in Japan. To catch fans up, Viz will be launching what they’re referring to as the “digital warp,” “a limited collection of digital graphic novel speed-ups that will bring North American readers up-to-date with Japanese releases.”

For more, read Deb Aoki’s in-depth interviews with VIZ Media Senior Vice President and General Manager Alvin Lu, Deputy Director of Shueisha’s Shonen Manga Group, Hisashi Sasaki, and VIZ Media’s Vice President of Digital Publishing, Brian Piech, at About.com.

Yen Press

In addition to a couple of new manga-style adaptations (Cassandra Clare’s Infernal Devices and Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark-Hunters: Infinity), Yen Press made a splash with these license announcements.

Alice in the Country of Hearts – In another valiant license rescue, Yen Press picks up this popular series, to be released in quick succession. From Yen’s official announcement: “Take heart, Alice fans! Yen Press will be releasing the COMPLETE Alice in the Country of Hearts series in June 2012 as three omnibus editions each collecting two volumes of the original series!”

Puella Magi Madoka Magica – “Madoka had always thought magic was the stuff of her dreams…until she encounters an unreal cat-being at her totally normal school! The cat offers her a choice — Will Madoka become a Puella Magi in exchange for her dearest desire?”

Until Death Do Us Part – “Haruka is a young girl with precognitive abilities that allow her to predict the future with incredible accuracy. Unfortunately, these powers have made her a target for greedy corporations. Haruka uses her power to seek the one who can offer her protection, singling out Mamoru Hijikata, a blind man whose inability to see belies his skill with a sword!”

The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan – “This spin-off takes place in the world of the “Disappearance” arc of the Haruhi Suzumiya novels, focusing on the high school life (and romance!) of a tentative and bashful Yuki Nagato quite unlike the one you’ve come to know and love through the usual exploits of the SOS Brigade…but no less charming!”

Soul Eater Not – Though this Soul Eater side-story might seem like a no-brainer for Yen, the real meat of this announcement is in its distribution. Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, Soul Eater Not will be serialized digitally in Yen Plus, but released simultaneously with chapters in Japan. Serialization begins in this month’s edition, and access is available worldwide.

Twin Spica Volumes 4-6

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Twin Spica is one of those series that is so uniformly excellent I sometimes have a hard time writing about it because I really just want to say “Go read this!” But that wouldn’t make for a very long blog post, would it?

Twin Spica Volume 4

Asumi and her classmates start their first real day of astronaut training. They are submerged in water wearing space suits and forced to complete a simulation of the type of movements they’d be expected to do in space. Asumi notices that her left hand is too weak, and this triggers a wave of memories of her childhood with her companion Mr. Lion. He showed her how difficult fine maneuvers are in space by having her wear a puffy glove and pick up marbles. Asumi’s father comes home to see his tiny daughter sitting against a wall working on grip exercises with a resolute expression on her face. Her dad comments “Life’s tough, eh?” Asumi washes out of the exercise but she’s determined to improve. These first few scenes really highlight what I like best about Twin Spica. Asumi’s childhood memories blend and inform her desire to get into space, and even though she’s not in the optimal physical shape to be an astronaut, she won’t back down from her goals.

On a class outing Asumi encounters a boy who comments that the uniforms of Tokyo Space school make him sick. Asumi’s classmate Marika is hiding her own health issues, and Asumi’s friend Mr. Lion appears to have a strange connection with Marika way back when he was alive. One of the things I like about Twin Spica is that while the story unfolds with some potentially weighty symbolism, the slice of life tone keeps it from being too precious. Instead an interlude with Mr. Lion and the spirit of his father seems appropriately mysterious, and Asumi’s adventures in Zero G plane training end up forging a bonding experience with her classmates through vomit.

Twin Spica Volume 5

Asumi’s encounter with the space hating boy Kiriu continues to effect them both. They’ve run into each other a couple more times, and he’s saving a rocket key chain that she dropped. He’s bullied at school, and it turns out that he was affected by the same space tragedy of “The Lion” that overshadows Asumi’s life. Despite his initial defensiveness, Kiriu and Asumi end up bonding a little bit. Asumi heads out to a more serious test of her skill as the trainees are placed in capsules and dropped of at random points in the wilderness. This is to simulate what might happen in the event of a crash landing, and Asumi is all alone without anyone to support her. An extended flashback sequence brings up more questions about Marika and Mr. Lion, as he’s shown as a young boy befriending a sick girl who seems to be trapped in her house most of the time. The boy builds a giant rocket model clubhouse out in the woods near her house, and the girl sneaks away to join him. Mr. Lion thinks “I never knew her name…their faces look similar but the age difference is too great.” When he visits his old clubhouse he sees the names Marika and Mr. Lion etched into a metal panel. Asumi’s struggles in the woods contrast with the young Mr. Lion’s attempts to befriend a lonely and sick girl.

Twin Spica Volume 6

Every few volumes Twin Spica will make me feel all weepy. Asumi manages to work her way through the wilderness challenge without a compass. When she meets up with her friends she’s surprised to see that they were all given compasses. I wonder if someone is deliberately trying to make Asumi wash out of the program. When Asumi sees that everyone is there except Marika, she decides to head back and search for her missing friend along with her other classmates. Marika has already been rescued and is resting safely, but when she sees what is happening on a monitor, she’s overcome with emotion. Shu quietly notices Asumi’s skills and concludes that she’s his biggest rival in the astronaut program. Kiriu and Asumi continue to spend some time together. Asumi has an encounter with a stoic astronaut who used to be a friend of Mr. Lion. He comes to lecture at the school and isn’t a particularly good storyteller, but Asumi runs into him after class and positions him on a bench with the ghost of Mr. Lion next to him. The ghostly Mr. Lion plays his harmonica and the astronaut is able to remember the days back when he was younger sitting with his lost friend on a roof. Mr. Lion quietly observes Marika. She’s affected when she hears a comment Asumi makes when her class completes an exercise of putting together a piece of equipment from spare parts, “Even though it’s the same thing with the same parts, it feels totally different.” Mr. Lion struggles with telling Asumi what he knows about Marika. There’s a constant tension between the past and the future in Twin Spica, as the different lives of the characters become more connected and intertwined. It makes for very rewarding reading, and Yaginuma’s simple and sometimes childlike character designs allow him to explore heavy emotional territory with a light and subtle touch.

Upcoming 10/19/2011

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Looking at the Manga Bookshelf Pick of the Week, you’d expect a bounty of new arrivals in your average comic shop. Looking at the Diamond-driven ComicList, it’s somewhat less exciting.

Never fear, though! Vertical leaps into the breach with the 16th volume of Osamu Tezuka’s Black Jack. It’s hard to believe that there will be only one more book in this series, isn’t it? As much as I enjoy Tezuka’s crazy, grown-up opuses, it’s always a treat to see him in mainstream entertainer mode, because even those comics are refreshingly weird. Here’s hoping that Vertical will find another example of Tezuka aiming for the mainstream and still packing his stories with insane, often disturbing grace notes. (Hi, Pinoko! I’ll miss you!)

What looks good to you?

 

NYCC/NYAF 2011, Day Three

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The final day of Comic Con was also the quietest, with only two events that I was interested in.

First up was Viz Media’s regular old panel, which followed the special press-only announcement of Shonen Jump Alpha on Friday. Much of the 2nd half of the panel was indeed devoted to that, but there were also a few other announcements. The manga title I was most interested in was Jiu Jiu, which is the new title from the author of hiatused Tokyopop series Clean Freak Fully Equipped, Toya Tobina. It’s about a female demon hunter and her two hot bishie familiars, and looks to be a lot of fun! It ran in Hana to Yume for a period, but the publisher/author has now moved it to the 6 times a year The Hana magazine instead. It’s 3 volumes and still ongoing.

The second and final manga announcement was a license rescue – the 2nd of the con! Yes, Viz has picked up Loveless from Tokyopop, and will be releasing it starting with Vol. 9, which is where it left off. This title runs in Ichijinsha’s Comic Zero-Sum, and is another of those “not quite BL but has many BL elements” series. It’s still running in Japan, and I think fans will be excited about this.

Other than that, there was a lot of discussion of their VizKids properties. Mameshiba is quite popular, and they’re doing a series of graphic novels next summer. The trailer was adorable. There’s also a new series of books based around Mister Men/Little Miss, and more Voltron Force books as well. They’ve partnered with Netflix to bring anime fans all of Naruto up to Shippuden, as well as the first Bleach movie and the 4 Inu Yasha movies. They also confirmed – finally – the Final Inu Yasha TV series, which will be out next year.

And yes, they too are working on an Android app. :)

After this, I mooched around the con for a while before it was time for the Classic Warners and MGM cartoons on Blu-Ray panel. I knew the San Diego Comic Con presenters wouldn’t be there, but they managed to get a nice all-star cast of panelists. The moderator was Gary Mariano, WB Home Video’s marketing director. On the panel was Will Friedwald, co-author with Jerry of the most famous WB cartoon books out there (The Warner Brothers Cartoons and Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies); Greg Ford, director of The Duxorcist and Blooper Bunny; Doug Compton, who was an animator on Blooper Bunny and has also been an animator on Doug, Pinky and the Brain, etc.; David Levy, director of the film Grandpa Looked Like William Powell; and Bill Plympton, famous animator and director of Academy Award nominated short Your Face.

They mentioned the Tom & Jerry and Looney Tunes Platinum collections are out in 2 weeks and 1 month, respectively. The LT sets are numbered, so some lucky fan may end up with #1 if they buy it from Amazon. They showed some clips of the restoration work, with Flirty Birdy being the T&J clip and the Looney Tunes being represented by Feline Frame-Up. I’m no great judge of differences between the current DVDs and the Blu-Ray, but I thought the slips looked great.

There was then a brief casual discussion of Warners cartoons – it was clear the audience liked Tom and Jerry, but were there for Bugs and Daffy. Same with the panelists. Ford mentioned he liked Chuck Jones’ ‘dark’ cartoons such as Fresh Airedale and Chow Hound. Plympton likes Clampett and Avery, of course, and Levy warmed my heart by talking about Frank Tashlin, my own favorite WB director. They noted the fact that the personality of each director was so easily visible – you look at a cartoon and you KNOW it’s Jones or Clampett, without even needing a credit. They also likened the animators to jazz bebop groups. The music was also mentioned, with Mariano noting the long sequence of St. Louis Blues in Flirty Birdy, and his suspecting MGM had to pay a royalty for that. Carl Stalling was mentioned, and his relationship with Milt Franklyn was likened to Duke Ellington’s with Billy Strayhorn. It was also noted by Ford that music students listening to Stalling were reminded of Prokofiev.

We then watched The Great Piggy Bank Robbery, which was as fantastic as ever, even if the audience seemed a bit subdued. Q&A followed, though I had to duck out early. Yes, someone asked about the Censored 11. Mariano said he had nothing to announce now, though when some audience members booed he noted he was not saying “No plans at this time” – they have plans, they just aren’t ready yet. There was also discussion of Mel Blanc, and the new shorts being made using his old records.

After that I went and had a nice dinner with friends, and then after much public transport wackiness (those who know my Ryouga Hibiki-esque sense of direction can guess what happened), I am now back home.

Comic Con was a lot of fun, though its size is very daunting. I’m not claustrophobic, but the time spent on that show floor was enough to make me a bit edgy – it’s just a huge crush of people. I was very appreciative of the anime panels – at least the industry ones – being on the north side of the center like all the other panels – it made for far less walking. And I think I will simply have to accept arriving an hour before each panel to wait in line as something I need to do from now on. Still, I will definitely be going back again, and I thought they did a good job at keeping everything manageable.

And thanks to all my fellow manga bloggers, as well as my friends Merc, Alan and Richard, for their delightful company. Also, thanks to the representatives at Viz, Yen and Vertical for not having their eyes glaze over *too* visibly when I went on about what magazine series debuted in or exactly why I think Beelzebub is still unlikely to be licensed.

Any other Comic Con thoughts? Comment away!

NYCC/NYAF 2011, Day Two

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Day 2 of NYCC began with the help of Starbucks, providing me with the tea I needed to keep going. I arrived early expecting lines for the Bandai panel, and I was right, though it wasn’t as bad as later lines. Bandai themselves had no new announcements, though they’re clearly very revved up about Gundam UC. The highlight (lowlight?) of the panel was the Q&A, where I was once again reminded that fans think Bandai USA makes the shows, not Japan. They asked about new Geass, they asked about Star Driver Season 2. The moderator said “Go to the Sunrise panel to ask about that.”

The panel that did have a HUGE line was Archie, which was in a smaller room than last year, for some odd reason. Archie was one of the highlights of last year’s con for me, and this year was no different. Alex Segura moderated, and was excited about the reintroduction of the old Archie superheroes, who are returning – though not getting rebooted, the panel was quick to note. Unlike last year, CEO John Goldwater was a full participant, and his enthusiasm for everything Archie shone through. They announced a new Sabrina animated series, as well as one for Little Archie, both animated by Moonscoop, which should be out next fall.

As for titles already running, Kevin Keller appears in Life With Archie’s ongoing plot. He’s getting married, having met his partner – a doctor, every mother’s dream – after getting wounded in a battlefield. Kevin also has his own series, where he’s Class President and dealing with modern high school issues – dating, proms – and it was noted by Dan Parent that they hope to make Kevin as “flawed” as all the other Archie characters. Archie’s own comic has a 100% profits-to-charity issue, to benefit Ronald McDonald House, with an appropriate plotline. The following issue guest stars football player Michael Strahan, another big Archie fan.

Archie meets KISS sounds really dumb at first, but the trailer they showed and the followup Q&A made me far more interested. The plot of the 4-issue mini will involve Sabrina, Josie, a huge cast – and zombies. And I mentioned the old original Archie superheroes – they’re also bringing back Pureheart the Powerful and the Superteens, discussing making a more realistic take on the characters – why would Veronica restrict herself to just ONE superhero outfit, it was noted? They also discussed the huge success of Life With Archie, and Valerie returning from a Pussycats tour to reunite with Archie from their earlier storyline. I also asked about the Dark Horse and IDW Archive books, and John Goldwater noted they were doing “exceptionally well”, though my suggestion of Josie and Bob Bolling collections was met with a safe “anything’s possible” answer.

And yes, Android app soon.

Then I had a lot of time, so braved the show floor – I’m not claustrophobic, but that many people in one area makes me nervous. I spoke with Craig Yoe briefly at the Archie table, as he was promoting the Archie’s Mad House collection. He also showed me his new Barney Bear comic book collection, which looks fantastic. I did get the Archie the Married Life collection 1, as I had gotten a lot of old titles recently and wanted to support their newer stuff. I also got stopped by several My Little Pony fans. I had bought a “Pinkie Moon” T-shirt from Welovefine on Friday, and it apparently had sold out soon after, so I had many people admiring the hot item.

After dinner, it was time for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund to discuss Defending Manga. This was an excellent panel, highlighting the fact that all of us read things every day that, if we showed them to a “non-fan”, they might not understand what we take for granted. It can be very easy to run afoul of the current attempts to “protect the children”. They discussed the Overfiend sting in Texas, Christopher Handley and the current Canadian Border Guard controversies, and of course Bill 156. It was noted that most “moe” character types look like children – it’s the design. Heck, I reviewed both Love Hina and Negima this week – both have nude girls, one 12 and one an ancient vampire in the body of a 10-year-old girl. Both have hit bestseller lists here in the States, too. It could be anything, because we forget that most folks think all manga is the same – it’s “that Japanese porn”.

One more day to go. What news will Viz have besides Shonen Jump Alpha? And how much will I love the Classic Cartoon panel?

NYCC/NYAF 2011, Day One

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This was always going to be the most exhausting day of Comic Con, and sure enough, it was. It started for me at 9am with a special Viz Media press panel where they introduced their new digital initiative, Shonen Jump Alpha. This takes the place of the print Shonen Jump magazine, which will be ending this March. The digital magazine will be catching up to only 2 weeks behind the Japanese release (any earlier and they run into quality issues), and will cost $25.99 for a year or .99 for a month. Obviously this will involve digital speed ups of the big titles that will be doing this – Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, Toriko, Nura… Viz is calling it a ‘warp’ rather than a speedup this time around. Given the minimal time delay, this would also see the digital chapters out before the print collections.

I asked about possible new content, such as Beelzebub and Medaka Box, as well as possible rescues of series such as Gintama. While acknowledging that it would be a goal, Viz noted the difficulty in speeding up to Japan with a “new” series that is still gaining readership and a fanbase here. They also noted this was USA and Canada only – there are still licensing issues with the UK and other English-speaking countries. They were also asked about the extras that run both in Japan – they mentioned the editorial process would be evolving to work with the digital market. (Note Viz has another panel on Sunday.)

Next up I went back to Unusual Manga Genres, a fan panel run by Erin Finnegan which is always interesting. Pachinko manga 4tw! The next big panel for announcements was Yen Press, who had some fantastic stuff. They’ve license rescued Alice in the Country of Hearts, and will be releasing it in a 3-volume omnibus all in the same month, so those who bought 5 of the 6 volumes from Tokyopop aren’t waiting around. They have The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan, the new Haruhi spinoff based on the ’emotional’ Yuki from the 4th movie. A big surprise for me was Shi Ga Futari o Wakatsu Made, a Young Gangan manga still running in Japan. Coming out over here as Until Death Do Us part, it will be in 2-volume omnibus collections, as it’s 15+ volumes in Japan. They also announced the Madoka Magica manga, which currently runs in Manga Time Kirara Forward. I think Kyubei made them license it. Lastly, they picked up Soul Eater Not, which isn’t surprising, but are doing simultaneous chapter releases with Japan, which is. This is a big thing for them, and should pave the way for more series like this if it goes well.

I asked about the Higurashi Massacre arc, and they are doing it, but don’t have the contracts worked out enough to give dates yet. JManga was also mentioned, and it was pointed out that a lot of the North American companies wanted to keep the digital rights for their titles to themselves, rather than give them to another company to make money off of. And for fans of Witch and Wizard and similar projects, they’re also doing GNs for Cassandra Clare’s Clockwork Angel series and Sherrilyn Renyon’s Chronicles of Nick.

Dark Horse had no manga news to announce, so I got some much needed lunch, then went to wait in line for Funimation. The first of two very long lines. Funi’s big announcement was their partnership with Japan’s Nico Nico, and more simulcast series from Japan’s new season. They announced 8 new series, including the finale of Shana, the new Last Exile, and Future Diary. They’re also very excited about Dragon Ball Z in HD, which has Japan impressed as well. And the Hetalia movie trailer was a lot of fun. :)

Next was Kodansha, and the 2nd long line of the day, as this was the Hiro Mashima panel as well. The majority of the panel was devoted to the Fairy Tail author, who was very nice and did a fantastic spontaneous Natsu sketch while we watched. He noted the long hours involved in being a manga artist – 17-hour days, 6 days a week. There was a bit of controversy as some attendees asked questions about plot points not out in America yet – these were quickly defused. As for Kodansha’s new announcements themselves, they have omnibus editions of Genshiken and Kitchen Princess out in May and June. The Phoenix Wright manga ends in March, and they confirmed the Edgeworth manga will follow it. The most exciting title announced was Shingeki no Kyojin, AKA Attack of the Titans. This Bessatsu Shonen title has gotten tremendous online buzz, and people were waiting to see who would get it here. the answer is Kodansha themselves. Lastly, they announced their iPad app, which 4 titles available now – Arisa, Fairy Tail, Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei, and Full Moon, It’s iPad only for now, but if you have one, give it your support! $4.99 price point.

The last big industry panel of the day was Vertical. It was noted that The Book of Human Insects hit the NYT bestseller list. Drops of God has an article coming out about it in Wine Spectator. Ed noted that they’ve only licensed the first 8 volumes (4 omnibus editions), but may do more if sales are strong. Since everyone is still confused, it was mentioned again that Princess Knight is the Nakayoshi version, not the Shojo Club edition. The final Black Jack, 17, will have a timeline of the stories in order of publication. No Longer Human is L to R, but Furuya drew that himself, especially for the Western Market. Chi’s Sweet Home 8 apparently mentioned Vertical in its content. And they mentioned a possible special Black Jack book after the series is finished, with the extra chapters in the hardcover 1-3 and other interesting content.

As for new licenses, beyond Flowers of Evil (announced at AWA), they numbered 3. 5 Centimeters Per Second, which ran in Kodansha’s Afternoon, will be coming out complete in one omnibus volume. Sakuran by beloved manga artist (well, more of a cult classic beloved) Moyoco Anno. It ran in Evening, and will also be one volume, with many color pages and in a hardcover. And the big Tezuka news was the re-release of Adolf, first published by Viz ages ago but long out of print. Vertical will do it as two huge 620-page volumes, covering the whole series. It ran in Big Comic Special starting from 1983, and is the story of several men named Adolf – including Hitler. This will also be a hardcover release.

And that was Day One. The other days will be much less busy. Thank God. Still, there was lots of great stuff, and it’s clear that digital manga is where everyone is headed.