The Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) kicks off this weekend with two days of panels, signings, and portfolio reviews. If you’re planning to attend, don’t miss A Conversation with Jun Mayuzuki, which will take place tomorrow morning (4/29) at the Japan Foundation. Pre-registration is required… The Guinness Book of World Records has certified Boys Over Flowers as the most popular shojo manga on the planet, with more than 59 million copies sold… Azuki will be offering 150 new titles through a partnership with Media Do International, Inc. and MediBang!… and Deb Aoki investigates the current state of the manga market, noting that growth has slowed considerably since 2021, but sales figures remain robust. Manga freelancers, however, aren’t seeing a rise in pay. “As demand for translated Japanese manga and Korean webtoons into English and other languages increases, the calls for more equitable pay for freelancers is likely to grow louder,” Aoki observes. “At the same time, the appeal of AI-assisted translation technologies for publishers is undeniable, especially as the technology continues to develop. How the comics publishing industry, in Japan, Korea and overseas, will respond to these tensions and challenges remains to be seen, but it will definitely be a hot topic for years to come.”
AROUND THE WEB…
Carrie McClain explains why you should be reading The Apothecary Diaries, “a manga that speaks to the ways that girls and women made a way for themselves in a time and place that may have not always cared much for them.” Oh, and it’s a pretty nifty mystery-of-the-week series, too. [Black Nerd Problems]
The Yatta-Tachi crew just posted a fantastic round-up of anime, manga, and pop-culture links that touches on just about every aspect of fandom, from licensing news to “wholesome game recommendations.” Go, read! [Yatta-Tachi]
Over at Anime Herald, Kennedy traces the rise and fall of Newtype USA, which was once described as “the biggest, slickest, most colorful English language anime magazine,” with a circulation of over 100,000 readers. [Anime Herald]
Mary Lee Sauder caught up with manga-ka Shiu Yoshijima at Anime Boston. [Honey’s Anime]
Looking for a great manga without the all the commitment that, say, One Piece entails? Check out Adam Symchuk’s list of done-in-one titles. His list is meticulously curated, touching on just about every genre and demographic you can imagine, from sci-fi to yuri. [Asian Movie Pulse]
Tony Yao uses a recent story arc in One Piece to meditate on strength, courage, and greatness. [Drop-In to Manga]
Brigid Alverson highlights three of June’s must-read manga. [ICv2]
If you’re a manga fan on a budget, check out Harry’s tips for inexpensive—and legal—ways to read your favorite series. [Honey’s Anime]
With a new edition of Hideko Mizuno’s Fire finally arriving in Japanese bookstores this month, Jocelyne Allen explains what makes this 1971 classic so readable, even fifty years later. “Like a lot of shojo of this era, this book is fully bonkers and completely about the vibes,” she notes. “Mizuno really gets into the idea of freedom and seeking it, but never really specifies what kind of freedom and most of the seeking ends up being a bunch of hippies driving across the US and getting kicked out of every state and/or hassled by cops along the way. It’s a mood, and if you are not willing to sit and live in that mood, you should reconsider your life choices and also not read this series.” [Brain vs. Book]
REVIEWS
Buckle up; this week’s review list is longer than a Star Wars screen scrawl! Of note: Rebecca Silverman reviews the new edition of Life… Adam Symchuk recommends Boy’s Abyss… Krystallina shares her thoughts on Perfect World… and the latest Reader’s Corner offers short, snappy reviews of My Sister the Cat, Kowloon Generic Romance, and Cinderella Closet.
New and Noteworthy
- The Boxer, Vol. 1 (Noemi10, Anime UK News)
- Boy’s Abyss, Vol. 1 (Rory Wilding, AiPT!)
- Boy’s Abyss, Vol. 1 (Publishers Weekly)
- Daemons of the Shadow Realm, Vol. 1 (Brett Michael Orr, Honey’s Anime)
- Embrace Your Size: My Own Body Positivity (Paulina Pryzstupa, WWAC)
- Guardian of Fukushima (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)
- Heavenly Delusion, Vol. 1 (Kate, Reverse Thieves)
- K-ON! The Complete Omnibus Edition (Krystallina, The OASG)
- K-On! Shuffle, Vol. 1 (Kate Sánchez, But Why Tho?)
- K-On! Shuffle, Vol. 1 (Bill Curtis, Yatta-Tachi)
- Kiniro Mosaic: Best Wishes (Krystallina, The OASG)
- Little Witch Academia, Vol. 1 (Sara Smith, The Graphic Library)
- Love’s in Sight, Vol. 1 (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)
- Love of Kill, Vol. 11 (Krystallina, The OASG)
- My Co-Worker Has a Secret!, Vol. 1 (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)
- Sugar Apple Fairy Tale, Vol. 1 (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
- Sunbeams in the Sky, Vol. 1 (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
- Sunbeams in the Sky, Vol. 1 (Sakura Eries, The Fandom Post)
- Sunbeams in the Sky, Vol. 1 (Kate Sánchez, But Why Tho?)
- Sweet Poolside (Demelza, Anime UK News)
- Tatsuki Fujimoto Before Chainsaw Man: 22-26 (MrAJCosplay, ANN)
- What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?, Vol. 1 (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
- What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?, Vol. 1 (Sakura Eries, The Fandom Post)
- What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?, Vol. 1 (Kate Sánchez, But Why Tho?)
- The Witch and the Knight Will Survive, Vol. 1 (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
- The Witch and the Knight Will Survive, Vol. 1 (Harry, Honey’s Anime)
Complete and Ongoing Series
- The Abandoned Empress, Vol. 2 (Sara Smith, The Graphic Library)
- The Boxer, Vol. 2 (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
- Call of the Night, Vol. 11 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
- Chainsaw Man, Vol. 3 (Sara Smith, The Graphic Library)
- Dai Dark, Vol. 3 (Sara Smith, The Graphic Library)
- Daughter of the Emperor, Vol. 3 (Noemi10, Anime UK News)
- Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, Vol. 12 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
- Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagataro, Vol. 14 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
- Doomsday with My Dog, Vol. 2 (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
- Hirano and Kagiura, Vol. 2 (Kate Sánchez, But Why Tho?)
- In Another World with My Smartphone, Vol. 8 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
- Key Princess Story: Eternal Alice Rondo, Vol. 1 (Matthew Alexander, The Fandom Post)
- Key Princess Story: Eternal Alice Rondo, Vol. 2 (Matthew Alexander, The Fandom Post)
- Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible, Vol. 6 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
- Kowloon Generic Romance, Vols. 2-3 (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
- Mieruko-Chan, Vol. 7 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
- My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions, Vol. 3 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
- My Idol Sits the Next Desk Over, Vol. 6 (Luce, Okazu)
- Omukae Desu, Vol. 3 (SKAJM! Reviews)
- Phantom of the Idol, Vol. 4 (Sarah, Anime UK News)
- Pluto, Vol. 3 (William Moo, Shelfdust)
- Ragna Crimson, Vol. 8 (Grant Jones, ANN)
- Rainbow Days, Vol. 3 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
- Run on Your New Legs, Vol. 2 (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
- She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat, Vol. 2 (Kate Sánchez, But Why Tho?)
- Turning the Tables on the Seatmate Killer!, Vols. 2-5 (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)
- Unnamed Memory, Vol. 2 (Krystallina, The OASG)
- Unnamed Memory, Vol. 2 (Demelza, Anime UK News)