about.com - Manga Bookshelf

My big news for the day is to point you to an early-morning post at About.com, which happens to my my guest review of Jason Yadao’s The Rough Guide to Manga.

This nearly pocket-sized volume claims to be “the ultimate handbook for exploring the world of Japanese comics,” and though it fails to be quite that, it does have some qualities that make it well worth reading, especially for new fans. I especially appreciated seeing some of my favorites (Banana Fish, Maison Ikkoku, even Fullmetal Alchemist!) listed as part of Yadao’s “fifty essential manga.” Though some of Yadao’s chapters work better than others (see particularly my comments on a very awkward discussion of Korean manhwa and Chinese manhua and an attempt to explain anime in a single, short chapter), it’s a solid starting point for anyone interested in the medium.

Check out Deb’s introductory blog post and my review for more!

Good morning all! My big news for the day is my debut as a guest reviewer at Deb Aoki’s manga blog! To check it out, head on over to about.com where you’ll find Deb’s introduction, followed by my review of Kagami Yoshimizu’s Lucky Star, volume one.

As a pretty enthusiastic fan of the anime series, I was excited when Bandai announced they’d licensed the manga as well. Unfortunately, their first volume turned out to be a fairly stunning lesson on the importance of effective translation. For those who still haven’t read Matt Thorn’s recent smackdown on the state of translation in the manga industry, now would be a good time. On a positive note, the third volume of Lucky Star (which I have here in my possession) displays a change in translation credit I think many will find heartening. I know I do.

Many thanks to Deb for this opportunity! Read my full review here!