Twitter is a-buzz this evening with licensing news from the folks at Digital Manga, who have announced the rescue of Finder, a popular series previously held by the now-defunct Central Park Media. Here’s the official press release:

Gardena, CA (3/11/10)- Digital Manga Publishing and Libre Shuppan are proud to announce the licensing of the Finder Series by Ayano Yamane! The Finder series has been one of the most heavily requested series from our readers, and has been considered by fans of the yaoi genre to be the quintessential yaoi title. From one of Japan’s top-selling yaoi mangaka, Ayano Yamane, DMP is proud to release the Finder series beginning with volume one in the summer of 2010 under the June’ imprint. For more information, news updates, and to keep on top of all things Finder, visit the Finder website at www.finderseries.com!

From our friends at Libre Shuppan:

We are pleased to announce that Kazuma Kodaka’s KIZUNA-絆- and Ayano Yamane’s Finder Series, both of which were previously licensed by Central Park Media, are now acquired by Digital Manga Publishing (DMP). For these series, all volumes will be newly translated and will be published under DMP’s June imprint. Finder Series is set to be released in Summer of 2010 and Kizuna is scheduled for September of 2010.

For further inquiries regarding this matter, feel free to contact us at rights@libre-pub.co.jp or Digital Manga Inc, at contact@emanga.com We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for reading our books and for your continued support.

———-

FINDER VOL. 1: TARGET IN THE VIEWFINDER, Rated M+ (for ages 18+), MSRP: $13.95, Available: SUMMER 2010, SIZE: B6, June’ Imprint

While out on assignment trying to document the illegal activities of the Japanese underworld, photographer Takaba crosses paths with the dark and mysterious leader Asami. Asami takes Takaba captive, in an attempt to subjugate and possess him. But when the son of the Chinese mafia enters demanding evidence that Takaba may have, will Takaba be able to survive being caught in the crosshairs of a deadly underworld feud?

Here’s a quick link to a review in today’s Manga Minis of Nimosaku Shimada’s BL one-shot, How To Seduce a Vampire from DMP’s June imprint.

Knowing only the premise, I expected this volume to fall into the ranks of so many forgettable BL one-shots, and I certainly never expected to be writing a positive review. Fortunately, my expectations were kicked to the curb less than a chapter in.

Utterly devoid of the overworked angst and longing of most modern vampire stories, How To Seduce a Vampire is genuinely funny, unexpectedly rich, and an undeniably entertaining read.

Check out my review for more!

Good morning! First of all, a reminder not to miss today’s installment of Manhwa Monday! Secondly, since Google Reader greeted me this morning with several wonderful gems, I thought it would be a crime not to pass them along to you!

Reverse Thieves offer up an interview with Ed Chavez, head of marketing for Vertical, Inc. and all-around manga expert. Ed discusses his background, his thoughts on manga, and goes into quite a bit of detail regarding Vertical’s highly anticipated (at least by me) 2010 manga releases, including Twin Spica, Peepo Choo, 7 Billion Needles, and the endlessly adorable Chi’s Sweet Home (insert happy sigh). The interview is long, but it’s a great read, so I recommend going in for the long haul.

Over at the newly-renamed Manga Curmudgeon, David Welsh writes the most delightful review of Yen Press’ Time and Again ever, in which he compares
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Love Skit
By Rie Honjoh
Published by 801 Media

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At eighteen years old, Aoto has had more than his share of tragedy. Orphaned in his youth, he’s dedicated himself to taking care of his older sister, Ryouko. Though relief eventually arrives in the form of Ryouko’s fiancé, Takashi, it brings along with it a new set of troubles, as Aoto quickly realizes he’s fallen in love with his new brother-in-law. Now, after his sister’s death, Aoto is left alone with Takashi, experiencing both grief and guilt over his own feelings. Then enters Masayuki, an old classmate of Takashi’s who is smitten with Aoto and determined not to let him pine after his dead sister’s husband for the rest of his life.

I’d anticipated this release quite enthusiastically, based on the emotionally affecting trailer offered up on YouTube by 801 Media, and at the outset it indeed seemed to have all the elements required to make up a rather touching (if conventional) boys’ love story. Unfortunately there are also several moves taken from the Creepy Yaoi Playbook, preventing the story’s early promise from quite following through.

Though fourteen years his senior, Masayuki chases Aoto like a sex-obsessed teen, grabbing at him incessantly at the least appropriate times and forcing himself on Aoto the moment he receives the slightest reciprocation of his feelings. Finally able to release his apparently uncontrollable urges, Masayuki forges on, regardless of Aoto’s obvious physical and emotional discomfort, whispering sweet nothings like, “Don’t worry. It’ll be over soon. Come on,” while Aoto winces in pain.

… be still my heart?

The manga’s reliance on questionably consensual sex is honestly a real shame, as it is otherwise quite thoughtful, exploring the internal struggles of its three main characters with unexpected insight. Though its “gender doesn’t matter” theme stubbornly refuses to grant the characters a shred of gay identity, even this could pass as a minor quibble if the sexual politics were not so blatantly askew. Rie Honjoh’s art is expressive and even whimsical, giving the romantic scenes a sense of playfulness that is distinctly refreshing in a story of this kind. Though the volume’s primary tale is interrupted halfway through to make way for a short side story involving one of its supporting characters, it still manages to feel substantial, especially in terms of character development.

For those who can stomach the bedroom dynamics, Love Skit certainly has its charms. For less fervent fans of the genre, it is probably best left on the shelf.

This morning I welcome you with my first review of 2010! The subject is You Higuri’s BL series Ludwig II, and the place is Manga Recon (please don’t be deterred by the interstitial ads). As someone who revels in process far more than in product, the impulse for research that this series inspired made it one of the most enjoyable review processes I’ve ever undertaken. Thus, I’m quite thrilled to present it as my first of the new year!

When I began reading Ludwig II, the question that immediately formed in my mind was, “How much (if at all) does this resemble the story of the real Bavarian king?” Many hours of research later, I found that the answer was, surprisingly, “Quite a bit,” in fact, just enough to make one wish that Higuri had gone the whole way. Both Ludwig’s biographers and Higuri portray him as an intelligent, sensitive, artistically inclined man, tragically ill-suited to his position, who would eventually become the victim of (in the words of Dr. Thomas Szasz), “…the first psychiatric assassination committed successfully and in broad daylight on an important personality.” Where the biographers paint a much bleaker picture is on the subject of Ludwig’s personal life, which was quite certainly doomed to unhappiness, thanks to nineteenth-century attitudes regarding homosexuality. Here, Higuri romanticizes–understandably, considering her intended audience–and in doing so, perhaps robs Ludwig of his full due as a tragic figure.

For my further thoughts on the subject, read the full review.

Happy New Year, readers!

Roureville, Vols. 1-3
By E. Hae
Published by NETCOMICS

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Evan Pryce is a an acclaimed reporter for the New York Times, whose most recent story has earned him a spot on a terrorist hit list. When coworkers at the Times make it clear they want him out of the vicinity until things cool down, he is shipped off to the middle of nowhere to investigate a tabloid-esque ghost story tip, very much against his will. Having spent ten days searching vainly for an off-the-map town called Roureville, Evan is about to throw in the towel when luck appears suddenly in the form of a flustered priest who unintentionally leads him straight into the town. Though the ghost story appears to be unfounded, Roureville is fishy from the start and after Evan manages to score a place to stay with a quiet young local named Jayce, the townspeople make it very clear that they wish for him to leave, enough even to resort to attempted murder. As the series continues, Evan becomes closer both to his reticent host and to the town’s carefully protected secret, ultimately discovering that he shares more in common with them than he ever would have suspected.

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The Way To Heaven
By Yamimaru Enjin
Published by DMP

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Moriya is a former boxer whose eyes were so damaged in his first pro fight that it ended his career. Watase is a former yakuza whose partner was so moved by watching a boxing match (coincidentally, the very match that permanently injured Moriya) that he insisted on leaving the world of crime, taking Watase with him. Together, they are strangers who find themselves plucked from Earth at the instant of their deaths by an alien woman with the power to manipulate time. The alien wishes to use Moriya and Watase as subjects in an experiment she’s developed to determine if “recycling” methods used on her planet could be put to use in order to solve Earth’s energy crisis. “The human body is filled with energy,” says the alien scientist–energy that only need be extracted. For this purpose, she transforms Watase into a vampire whose mission is to collect vials of blood, and Moriya into a werewolf who must collect vials of semen (don’t ask me). For each vial collected, the two of them will earn 0.1 seconds “before impact.” In other words, they will gain back a tenth of a second of their lives before they both were hit by an oncoming truck.

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Tale of the Waning Moon, Vol. 1
By Hyouta Fujiyama
Published by Yen Press

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After his faithless girlfriend leaves him for a rich man from the next town over, poor Ryuka heads to the tavern to booze it up, followed by a drunken trek to a spot known as the “Wishing Hill,” where he makes a wish for “someone… anyone” to help him forget the girl–someone to love him and to be loved in return. What he wishes for soon after is to have chosen his words more carefully, for though help appears in the form of Ixto, spirit of the last quarter moon, the only options Ixto offers him as potential lovers are other men, something Ryuka is definitely not interested in. His proposals rejected, Ixto takes on the responsibility himself, making (questionably consensual) love to Ryuka all night long.

Thanks to Ixto’s magical powers, Ryuka awakens the next morning to find his body annoyingly drawn to the memory of Ixto, sending him on a spellbound, RPG-style journey to who knows where. To protect him, Ixto provides a guide of sorts–a scantily clad “moon cat” (complete with ears, tail, and go-go shorts) named Coon, who is said to be “honest and obedient.” Coon, unfortunately, is also an easily swayed nymphomaniac who steers Ryuka into trouble more often than not. As the volume continues, Ryuka and Coon are joined by more travel companions, mainly a traveling nobleman and his unusually (*cough*) beloved horse, and Ryuka is forced to recognize the fact that he has begun to develop real feelings for Ixto.

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It was almost two months ago, when I first started reviewing some DMP titles here, that the folks behind eManga.com asked if I’d review the website itself. Now that I’ve finally taken a good look at the place, I’m sorry it took me so long. With a few small caveats, my experience was very positive and I even discovered some new series I’d like to follow.

The general setup is similar to another pay-to-read website, NETCOMICS, with a few significant differences. While NETCOMICS charges a small fee (25 cents) per chapter for a 48-hour period (with no option to buy long-term), eManga charges by the volume–between 200 points (approximately $2) and 600 points (or less, if one takes advantage of their current sale), depending on the series. Manga released on their June imprint seems to be the cheapest, followed by 801 Media, with titles from DMP’s primary imprint coming in on top. Single volumes can be “rented” for a 72-hour period or purchased (not for download, but for unlimited online access) for an additional fee. Anything rented for a second time is automatically considered a lifetime purchase. Though the price per volume is nicely affordable, it should be mentioned that the minimum purchase is 500 points, so if you’re only interested in one low-price volume, there’s no way to buy only that.

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Ze, Volumes 1-2
By Yuki Shimizu
Published by 801 Media
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Left on his own after the death of his grandmother, Raizou Shichikawa, a student at the local culinary school, is brought to work as a live-in cook and housekeeper for the Mitou family–a wealthy household with a very strange secret. Initially shocked by the inhabitants’ overt sexual behavior towards one another, Raizou quickly discovers that the household is made up of two types of people: “kotodama-sama,” who are born with the ability to use kotodama (the power of words), mainly to deliver curses for hire, and “kami-sama” who are actually not people at all, but instead human-like dolls made of paper who exist to absorb the injuries sustained by their masters each time they perform a curse. The injuries may be transferred from kotodama-sama to kami-sama either by using kotodama or through contact with the “mucus membranes.” In other words, the injuries are transferred primarily by sexual contact. Additionally, the kotodama/kami pairings must all be homosexual.

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