January is almost over so here it is, Experiments in Manga’s first manga giveaway of the year! Let’s get right to it: For this giveaway you will all have the opportunity to enter for a chance to win Love at Fourteen, Volume 1 created by Fuka Mizutani and published in English by Yen Press. And, as always, the giveaway is open worldwide!
Had I been thinking about it thematically, a giveaway for Love at Fourteen—a sweet and somewhat nostalgic story of first love—would have been nicely suited for a February or March giveaway because of Valentine’s Day or White Day, respectively. Then again, my love of manga and my love of spreading that love cannot be contained or limited to a single month! Looking at it that way, and following a peculiar train of logic, a manga giveaway featuring a love story would be more than appropriate any time of the year. Thus, Love at Fourteen! Because, why not?
So, you may be wondering, how can you win Love at Fourteen, Volume 1?
1) In the comments below, tell me a little about your favorite manga love story. (If you don’t have one, simply mention that!)
2) If you’re on Twitter, you can earn a bonus entry by tweeting, or retweeting, about the contest. Make sure to include a link to this post and @PhoenixTerran (that’s me).
And there you have it! Each giveaway participant can earn up to two entries and has one week to submit comments. Entries can also be emailed directly to me at phoenixterran(at)gmail(dot)com if needed or preferred. I will then post the comments here in your name. The giveaway winner will be randomly selected and announced on February 3, 2016. Best of luck to you all!
VERY IMPORTANT: Include some way that I can contact you. This can be an e-mail address in the comment form, a link to your website, Twitter username, or whatever. If I can’t figure out how to get a hold of you and you win, I’ll just draw another name.
Contest winner announced–Manga Giveaway: Love at Fourteen Giveaway Winner
BRIGID: 
DEB: I’m most excited about the trend where manga publishers are taking chances on titles and genres that were once considered the third rail/extra risky to license, like sports manga. Super excited about the Summer 2016 arrival of the first volumes of 
Another example of manga publishing biz in the US dipping their toes into riskier fare is the upcoming publication of three classics: 
KATE: I share Deb’s excitement about classic manga. It’s a risky undertaking for any publisher, especially when so many readers are young (under 20) and not particularly curious about the medium’s roots. It will be interesting to see if UDON can pitch Rose of Versailles to the Shojo Beat crowd; though the artwork is a little dated, the melodrama, costumes, and kick-butt female lead have obvious parallels with titles in VIZ, Kodansha, and Yen’s catalogs. Who knows? It could be a surprise hit.
In the just-for-fun department, 
KATE: I’m consistently impressed by Seven Seas’ tenacity and business acumen, but not so impressed with the actual titles they license. Last year, however, Seven Seas published The Ancient Magus’ Bride and acquired Orange, neither of which fit the profile of a typical Seven Seas manga; if anything, both seemed like the kind of titles that CMX used to license. That gamble has paid off with Bride, which recently cracked the NY Times Manga Bestseller list. My prediction: Seven Seas will continue to make bold licensing choices in 2016, even as vampire-monster girls remain their core business.
If any publishers are reading this, I have a very specific licensing request. There’s a small French publisher called 
