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Manga Radar, 12 August 2012

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[escape hatch: for those who care about manga, not process]
[blue portal: tl;dr – skip the boring bits AND the long lists and get to the final commentary]

So I had to go back 4 months to find my last couple of written columns about manga – and a lot has changed with my homebrew charts since then. The difficulty in keeping up with manga sales data has *always* been a matter of time: as the data is already out there. Anyone can visit Amazon & look at their hourly bestsellers at any time (or even multiple times a day). But to compile all the data from available sources was a rather painstaking process, especially since one cannot, for example, cut-n-paste the Amazon page into a spreadsheet to compile a composite chart. None of the sales sites use the same format or nomenclature, and it becomes not only a math exercise but also a translation problem; not comparing apples to oranges, but apples to softballs to aerogel to a cup of nonnewtonian fluid.

Most problems can be solved with the application of time. Compiling the manga bestsellers used to be very hands-on: overcoming differences in formats & listings with a lot of human-processing. By using _an actual person_ to read, analyze, & re-input the data from book sales sites into a single consistent format that could then be used in a spreadsheet, we bridge the machine-readable-to-human-readable gap: but the process is labor intensive. My small concern only has the one employee (me) and this same employee has to also hold down a 45hr. a week job (to pay the bills, as the data-analysis-stuff is still just a hobby). There weren’t enough hours in the week.

To compile one week’s worth of bestsellers I was spending 16 hours a week or more just clicking on websites & typing in data. It was a ‘brute force’ method: very easy to implement but not very efficient. It was also very easy to fall behind; I could always save pages for later data collection, but the actual data collection required me to sit in a chair, look at long lists, and type.

I started out a couple of weeks behind, but soon was starting at a backlog of two-and-a-half-month’s-worth of archived data and frankly, seeing no way out. I was tempted to just chuck the whole project, like I once did in 2009. I decided to keep at it though, thankless a task as this is, because no one else is tracking this data.

So obviously I needed a new approach. I had to teach myself a few new tricks.

##

Data collection for the manga charts is now handled by a set of programs — the technology is similar to web spiders or other big sites that seek to index the web (think Google) but my application is much, much smaller in scale. You could think of them as a type of ‘bot, programmed to love manga, crawl a very specific set of URLs and download just the rank & title of the manga volumes found there. I’ll admit to becoming fond of them, I call them my DRDs. Instead of manually loading websites & reading them myself (or archiving them for later) I just let the DRDs crawl the web for me and stash the results in a CSV file.

Problem One solved – but it introduces the second hurdle: One site will list Naruto 54, another Naruto vol. 54, and a third Naruto Volume 54 – and these are all the same book. You can see that, I can see that, but computers are a little particular and can’t make the connection right away. With my automatically collected raw data, I needed to then set up a filter to ‘translate’ each of the three listings into a single consistent format.

Luckily, I had a database of manga titles in my own indosyncratic format (compiled over the past 5 years) so it was merely a matter of teaching a spreadsheet to read the three Naruto 54s the same way. Merely. My kludge is yet another brute-force solution, though I’m letting my CPU be the brute in this case; my ‘filter’ takes the raw data provided by the DRDs and compares them to a set of 21558 definitions (as of 12 August 2012, and growing each week) to output a single set of data, while simultaneously kicking out the “non manga” [as defined] and returning a list, sorted by source & rank, and reformatted to my preferred title notation.

It sounds fancy, but it really just builds on the manga charts themselves: I’ve been teaching spreadsheets to compare-and-count “like” titles for years now, this is just a specific application. Still (as I am now finding in other hobby projects) this type of filter really does rely on a foundation of past data; this is a very hard process to recreate from scratch.

Source data is then weighted, scored, compiled, and run through the usual meat-grinder of a spreadsheet I’ve always used to output the charts. I’ve used this spreadsheet & format for a couple of years now; these are the charts that post weekly. This isn’t the part that’s new. What’s new is the new automated data collection process that pulls data from websites while I sleep & enables me to go from raw data to posted chart [with a couple rounds of manual error checking & correction] in under two hours. If you follow me on twitter you got to read my comments in real time while I worked on the charts just posted for 12 August.

##

Your takeaway from all the boring posted above is that it is now possible for my small datashop to process a whole week’s worth of online sales data and output the chart in a single day — even same day delivery, if I happen to get to it either before or after working at the bookstore.

But enough about process, let’s look at manga:

Wow. Months have passed since I last wrote a Manga Radar column, so I’m not even sure where to start. Obviously, I’ve added hundreds of title to the database in the intervening time, so a listing of just “what’s new” would be an overload. I’ll assume you know about new releases this month, and next (and I post each as it’s own chart so there are links for that) – so true to concept, let’s take a look at some of the titles fans are preordering that are even further out:

[the rankings listed are for the most recent chart posted, 12 August]

October Releases

2239. (new) : Angelic Layer Omnibus – Dark Horse, Oct 2012 [0.1] ::
37. ↑2 (39) : Avatar: The Last Airbender The Promise 3 – Dark Horse, Oct 2012 [188.0] ::
278. ↑9 (287) : Berserk 36 – Dark Horse, Oct 2012 [44.9] ::
234. ↑12 (246) : Cardcaptor Sakura Omnibus 4 – Dark Horse, Oct 2012 [51.9] ::

1796. ↓-510 (1286) : Bad Teacher’s Equation 5 – DMP Juné, Oct 2012 [0.1] ::
1782. ↓-4 (1778) : Honey*Smile – DMP Juné, Oct 2012 [0.1] ::
. ↑2536 (2536) : Secret Thorns – DMP Juné, Oct 2012 [0.0] ::

. (last ranked 10 Jun 12) : Love Hair – DMP Project H, Oct 2012 [0.0] ::
. (last ranked 17 Jun 12) : Love Infusion – DMP Project H, Oct 2012 [0.0] ::
240. ↑374 (614) : My Good Boy – DMP Project H, Oct 2012 [50.7] ::
248. ↑214 (462) : With A Dictionary & No Skirt – DMP Project H, Oct 2012 [49.6] ::
< strong>274. ↓-23 (251) : Arisa 9 – Kodansha Comics, Oct 2012 [45.5] ::
. : Cage of Eden 8 – Kodansha Comics, Oct 2012 [0.0] ::
. : Kitchen Princess Omnibus 2 – Kodansha Comics, Oct 2012 [0.0] ::
164. ↑53 (217) : Mardock Scramble 6 – Kodansha Comics, Oct 2012 [70.0] ::
69. ↑3 (72) : Negima! 36 – Kodansha Comics, Oct 2012 [126.1] ::

342. ↓-33 (309) : Dance in the Vampire Bund 13 – Seven Seas, Oct 2012 [35.9] ::
157. ↑13 (170) : Girl Friends: Complete Collection 1 – Seven Seas, Oct 2012 [72.6] ::
270. ↓-26 (244) : Venus Versus Virus Omnibus 3 – Seven Seas, Oct 2012 [46.0] ::

1753. ↓-32 (1721) : Awkward Silence 2 – SuBLime, Oct 2012 [0.1] ::
. (last ranked 5 Aug 12) : His Favorite 2 – SuBLime, Oct 2012 [0.0] ::
. (last ranked 29 Apr 12) : Punch Up! 2 – SuBLime, Oct 2012 [0.0] ::

. : Flowers of Evil 3 – Vertical, Oct 2012 [0.0] ::
. (last ranked 5 Aug 12) : GTO The Early Years: Shonan Junai Gumi 15 – Vertical, Oct 2012 [0.0] ::

1675. ↓-3 (1672) : Loveless vols 1-2 collection – Viz, Oct 2012 [0.1] ::
2044. (new) : X vols 10-12 collection – Viz, Oct 2012 [0.1] ::
2247. (new) : Dawn of the Arcana 6 – Viz Shojo Beat, Oct 2012 [0.1] ::
. : Jiu Jiu 2 – Viz Shojo Beat, Oct 2012 [0.0] ::
341. ↑58 (399) : Skip Beat! 29 – Viz Shojo Beat, Oct 2012 [35.9] ::
1125. ↓-42 (1083) : Stepping on Roses 8 – Viz Shojo Beat, Oct 2012 [2.9] ::
1555. ↑41 (1596) : Story of Saiunkoku 8 – Viz Shojo Beat, Oct 2012 [0.2] ::
1321. ↑433 (1754) : Bakuman 15 – Viz Shonen Jump, Oct 2012 [1.2] ::
1043. ↑117 (1160) : Bleach 48 – Viz Shonen Jump, Oct 2012 [3.8] ::
996. ↓-28 (968) : Bleach 49 – Viz Shonen Jump, Oct 2012 [4.5] ::
2163. (last ranked 15 Apr 12) : Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan 11 – Viz Shonen Jump, Oct 2012 [0.1] ::
766. ↓-77 (689) : Case Closed 44 – Viz Shonen Sunday, Oct 2012 [9.6] ::
2230. ↓-331 (1899) : Tenjo Tenge: Full Contact Edition 9 – Viz Signature, Oct 2012 [0.1] ::
721. ↑191 (912) : Pokemon Black & White vols 1-8 box set – Vizkids, Oct 2012 [11.3] ::
1379. ↓-58 (1321) : Pokemon Diamond & Pearl/Platinum 6 – Vizkids, Oct 2012 [0.8] ::

325. ↑78 (403) : Black Butler 11 – Yen Press, Oct 2012 [38.2] ::
751. ↑186 (937) : Durarara!! 4 – Yen Press, Oct 2012 [10.3] ::
1076. ↑106 (1182) : Haruhi Suzumiya The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-Chan 2 – Yen Press, Oct 2012 [3.5] ::
552. ↑155 (707) : Pandora Hearts 12 – Yen Press, Oct 2012 [19.1] ::
1351. ↑853 (2204) : Soul Eater NOT! 2 – Yen Press, Oct 2012 [0.9] ::
. ↑ (last ranked 29 Jul 12) : Triage X 1 – Yen Press, Oct 2012 [0.0] ::

November Releases

1833. ↑246 (2079) : Bride of the Water God 12 – Dark Horse, Nov 2012 [0.1] ::
833. ↑124 (957) : Deva Zan – Dark Horse, Nov 2012 [8.0] ::
. (last ranked 29 Jul 12) : Gantz 25 – Dark Horse, Nov 2012 [0.0] ::

119. ↑99 (218) : Velvet Kiss 2 – DMP Project H, Nov 2012 [89.8] ::

1673. ↓-238 (1435) : Fairy Tail 22 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [0.1] ::
338. ↑1003 (1341) : Missions of Love 1 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [36.5] ::
303. ↓-40 (263) : Phoenix Wright Miles Edgeworth 3 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [40.9] ::
21. ↓-2 (19) : Sailor Moon 8 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [254.4] ::

666. ↑86 (752) : Alice in the Country of Clover Cheshire Cat Waltz 3 – Seven Seas, Nov 2012 [14.1] ::
2485. ↓-615 (1870) : Angel Para Bellum 2 – Seven Seas, Nov 2012 [0.0] ::
680. ↑124 (804) : Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends 1 – Seven Seas, Nov 2012 [13.3] ::
. (last ranked 11 Mar 12) : Young Miss Holmes vols 3-4 collection – Seven Seas, Nov 2012 [0.0] ::

1906. ↓-130 (1776) : Bond of Dreams, Bond of Love 2 – SuBLime, Nov 2012 [0.1] ::
1697. ↓-28 (1669) : Starting with a Kiss 2 – SuBLime, Nov 2012 [0.1] ::

. : GTO: 14 Days in Shonan 6 – Vertical, Nov 2012 [0.0] ::
1200. ↓-29 (1171) : Message to Adolf 2 – Vertical, Nov 2012 [2.2] ::

. (last ranked 13 May 12) : Excel Saga 24 – Viz, Nov 2012 [0.0] ::
1186. ↓-93 (1093) : Neon Genesis Evangelion 13 – Viz, Nov 2012 [2.3] ::
104. ↓-15 (89) : Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 2 vol hardcover box set [complete] – Viz Ghibli Library, Nov 2012 [100.1] ::
2486. (new) : Ai Ore! 7 – Viz Shojo Beat, Nov 2012 [0.0] ::
1685. ↑8 (1693) : Kamisama Kiss 11 – Viz Shojo Beat, Nov 2012 [0.1] ::
979. ↑97 (1076) : Kimi ni Todoke 15 – Viz Shojo Beat, Nov 2012 [4.8] ::
855. ↓-17 (838) : Ouran High School Host Club vols 1-18 box set – Viz Shojo Beat, Nov 2012 [7.2] ::
215. ↑75 (290) : Vampire Knight 15 – Viz Shojo Beat, Nov 2012 [57.4] ::
2256. (new) : Bakuman 16 – Viz Shonen Jump, Nov 2012 [0.1] ::
1829. ↓-10 (1819) : Bleach 50 – Viz Shonen Jump, Nov 2012 [0.1] ::
1866. ↓-64 (1802) : Bleach 51 – Viz Shonen Jump, Nov 2012 [0.1] ::
318. ↓-22 (296) : Naruto 59 – Viz Shonen Jump, Nov 2012 [39.1] ::
881. ↑482 (1363) : One Piece 65 – Viz Shonen Jump, Nov 2012 [6.7] ::
. : Psyren 7 – Viz Shonen Jump, Nov 2012 [0.0] ::
554. ↑50 (604) : Blue Exorcist 8 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Nov 2012 [18.8] ::
626. ↓-17 (609) : Claymore 21 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Nov 2012 [15.6] ::
264. ↓-42 (222) : Rosario+Vampire Season II 10 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Nov 2012 [46.4] ::

362. ↑596 (958) : Bunny Drop 7 – Yen Press, Nov 2012 [32.8] ::
128. ↑29 (157) : Omamori Himari 9 – Yen Press, Nov 2012 [85.5] ::
2499. ↓-346 (2153) : Soul Eater 11 – Yen Press, Nov 2012 [0.0] ::
. : Soulless 2 – Yen Press, Nov 2012 [0.0] ::
1923. ↓-148 (1775) : Spice & Wolf (manga) 7 – Yen Press, Nov 2012 [0.1] ::

December Releases

. (last ranked 5 Aug 12) : Neon Genesis Evangelion The Shinji Ikari Raising Project 12 – Dark Horse, Dec 2012 [0.0] ::
. (last ranked 10 Jun 12) : Mizuki 1 – DMP, Dec 2012 [0.0] ::
. (last ranked 10 Jun 12) : Mizuki 2 – DMP, Dec 2012 [0.0] ::

1053. ↓-235 (818) : Caramel – DMP Juné, Dec 2012 [3.7] ::
1854. ↓-120 (1734) : I’ve Seen It All 2 – DMP Juné, Dec 2012 [0.1] ::
1261. ↑40 (1301) : Love Makes Everything Right – DMP Juné, Dec 2012 [1.6] ::
1365. ↓-296 (1069) : Ninth Life Love – DMP Juné, Dec 2012 [0.8] ::

918. ↑238 (1156) : Love On The Job 1 – DMP Project H, Dec 2012 [6.0] ::

. : Attack on Titan 3 – Kodansha Comics, Dec 2012 [0.0] ::
204. ↑76 (280) : Battle Angel Alita Last Order 16 – Kodansha Comics, Dec 2012 [60.6] ::

1184. ↑627 (1811) : A Certain Scientific Railgun 6 – Seven Seas, Dec 2012 [2.3] ::
1401. ↑517 (1918) : Mayo Chiki! 1 – Seven Seas, Dec 2012 [0.7] ::

306. ↓-5 (301) : Black Bird 15 – Viz Shojo Beat, Dec 2012 [40.5] ::
1655. ↑62 (1717) : The Earl & The Fairy 4 – Viz Shojo Beat, Dec 2012 [0.2] ::
. : Bakuman 17 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2012 [0.0] ::
1859. ↓-34 (1825) : Bleach 52 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2012 [0.1] ::
1511. ↑17 (1528) : Bleach 53 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2012 [0.3] ::
. (last ranked 15 Jul 12) : Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan 12 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2012 [0.0] ::
699. ↑615 (1314) : Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal 2 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2012 [12.2] ::
. : Tenjo Tenge: Full Contact Edition 10 – Viz Signature, Dec 2012 [0.0] ::
2217. ↑ (last ranked 5 Aug 12) : Vagabond VizBig Edition 11 – Viz Signature, Dec 2012 [0.1] ::

1018. ↑433 (1451) : Alice in the Country of Hearts My Fanatic Rabbit 1 – Yen Press, Dec 2012 [4.2] ::
217. ↓-45 (172) : Haruhi Suzumiya Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 14 – Yen Press, Dec 2012 [57.3] ::
1305. ↑211 (1516) : Puella Magi Madoka Magica 3 – Yen Press, Dec 2012 [1.3] ::

January Releases

740. ↓-54 (686) : Ze 7 – 801 Media, Jan 2013 [10.6] ::

1924. ↑153 (2077) : Oh My Goddess! 43 – Dark Horse, Jan 2013 [0.1] ::

957. ↓-111 (846) : Ai no Kusabi (novel) 8 – DMP Juné, Jan 2013 [5.2] ::
456. ↓-13 (443) : The Tyrant Falls in Love 8 – DMP Juné, Jan 2013 [24.5] ::

. : Genshiken Omnibus 3 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2013 [0.0] ::
111. ↓-6 (105) : Negima! 37 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2013 [94.4] ::

230. ↓-42 (188) : Phoenix Wright Miles Edgeworth 4 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2013 [53.5] ::
13. ↔0 (13) : Sailor Moon 9 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2013 [286.2] ::

736. ↑154 (890) : Girl Friends: Complete Collection 2 – Seven Seas, Jan 2013 [10.8] ::
. (last ranked 10 Jun 12) : Gunslinger Girl Omnibus 6 – Seven Seas, Jan 2013 [0.0] ::
. (last ranked 22 Jul 12) : I Don’t Like You At All, Big Brother! vols 3-4 collection – Seven Seas, Jan 2013 [0.0] ::

. (last ranked 6 May 12) : Punch Up! 3 – SuBLime, Jan 2013 [0.0] ::

1598. ↑165 (1763) : Loveless 10 – Viz, Jan 2013 [0.2] ::
. : X vols 13-15 collection – Viz, Jan 2013 [0.0] ::
1070. ↑128 (1198) : Dengeki Daisy 11 – Viz Shojo Beat, Jan 2013 [3.5] ::
. : Jiu Jiu 3 – Viz Shojo Beat, Jan 2013 [0.0] ::
. (last ranked 15 Jul 12) : Otomen 14 – Viz Shojo Beat, Jan 2013 [0.0] ::
2167. ↑377 (2544) : Bleach 54 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jan 2013 [0.1] ::
877. ↓-120 (757) : Naruto 60 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jan 2013 [6.8] ::
. : Case Closed 45 – Viz Shonen Sunday, Jan 2013 [0.0] ::
. : Jormungand 10 – Viz Signature, Jan 2013 [0.0] ::
1679. ↓-194 (1485) : A Bride’s Story 4 – Yen Press, Jan 2013 [0.1] ::
1491. ↓-206 (1285) : Black Butler 12 – Yen Press, Jan 2013 [0.3] ::

##

So what are the highlights? I think special mention should be made of the new Nausicaa Box (a two-volume hardcover set, isbn 9781421550640, rel. 6 November) and the Pokemon box sets: Red & Blue (isbn 9781421550060; should already be available) and Gold & Silver (isbn 9781421550077, rel. 4 September) which together collect the 14 volumes of the Pokemon “Adventures” series. Also, as if for my birthday, Viz is releasing an 18 volume box set of Ouran High School Host Club.

Additonally, there are a number of omnibuses from Dark Horse, Kodansha and Seven Seas (hit ctrl-F & search Omnibus) as well as additional 3-in-1 collections from Viz. For collectors, or for those of us who are coming late to these series (includes Angelic Layer, Cardcaptor Sakura from Clamp, plus Genshiken, Negima, and Gunslinger Girl; and various 2-in-1 print releases of other titles from Seven Seas). The omnibus format usually represents a cost savings, a ‘big-gulp’ opportunity – or a sub-$20 grand introduction to a new series.

I make no promises, but now that I’m finally caught up on the charts, I’ll try to give you a weekly or bi-weekly peek like this, as was previously promised. Welcome back.

Today’s must-read: Arwen Spicer on Banana Fish

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Someone should always be talking about Banana Fish, and today that someone is Arwen Spicer at The Geek Girl Project. Billed as a “Review & Ramble,” the article also links to additional resources, including a LiveJournal entry from the same author, in which she discusses Banana Fish in the context of 1980s BL. That post was especially enlightening for me, but both are must-reads.

I’ve discussed Banana Fish frequently here at Manga Bookshelf, most notably in my “persuasion post,” Making the case for Banana Fish, and in company with the brilliant minds of Robin Brenner, Eva Volin, Michelle Smith, Connie C., Khursten Santos, and (occasionally) Kate Dacey for the epic roundtable Breaking Down Banana Fish. Arwen’s discussion on 80s BL brings yet another perspective to the series, and is simply not to be missed, especially if (like me) you’ve spent time insisting that Banana Fish isn’t BL.

So go! Read!

PS: Eiji.

Last week at Manga Bookshelf, 7/29-8/04

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Here’s what you may have missed at Manga Bookshelf last week, July 29th-August 4th!

After the previous week’s outpouring of CLAMP, last week belonged to Manga Bookshelf’s regular contributors and their diverse collection of topics.

From the main blog:

The Battle Robot shared our Pick of the Week and filed a new installment of Bookshelf Briefs.

On August 1st (aka “Yaoi Day”), I blogged about BL manga and privilege.

Matt Blind checked out online manga bestsellers from the weeks ending July 8th, July 15th, and July 22nd.

This month in “Magazine no Mori,” Erica Friedman talked about the “slightly eccentric” Young King Ours.

In the latest installment of “It Came from the Sinosphere,” Sara K. shared her thoughts on Jin Yong’s wuxia novel The Fox Volant of Snow Mountain.

Anna, Emily, Eva, and Nancy take on the K-drama Big in their latest edition of “Bringing the Drama.”

In last week’s “Combat Commentary,” Derek Bown gave us an overview of the fighting in One Piece.

Angela Eastman compared the novel and graphic novel versions of Darren Shan’s Cirque Du Freak in her latest “Comic Conversion” column.

And guest contributor Justin Stroman talks about Olympic gymnast Kouhei Uchimura in Manga, and the Olympic Inspiration.

From The Manga Critic:

Kate reported on Vertical’s license announcements from Otakon and VIZ’s summer manga sale, and reviewed volumes 3-5 of Dawn of the Arcana.

From A Case Suitable for Treatment:

Sean reviewed Soul Eater Not!, Vol. 1 and Jiu Jiu, Vol. 1. He also took a look at Manga the Week of 8/8, and shared some news about the upcoming Looney Tunes Platinum Collection 2.

From MangaBlog:

Brigid’s linkblogging last week included Looking back at Kodansha’s first year and Happy Yaoi Day!

Looney Tunes Platinum Collection 2 announced

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It’s a good thing that this post goes under Unshelved, as this announcement is so new there’s not even a cover art image to give you. Warner Brothers has announced the 2nd of its Platinum Collection sets for Blu-Ray on October 16th, with 3 discs containing 15 cartoons and bonus features. There’s also a separate 2-DVD set with just the cartoons.

Like the first Platinum Collection, 80% of these cartoons have been previously released on the Golden Collection DVDs. If you have a fantastic audiovisual setup that shows the difference between Blu-Ray and DVD, you might want to buy them again. Otherwise, there are ten new to DVD cartoons here to inspire grumpy cartoon fans to purchase it anyway. So here’s a breakdown:

DISC 1
A Wild Hare (1940, Avery) (Academy Award Collection)
Buckaroo Bugs (1944, Clampett) (GC5)
Long-Haired Hare (1949, Jones)(GC1)
Ali Baba Bunny (1957, Jones) (GC5)
Show Biz Bugs (1957, Freleng) (GC2)
The Wise Quacking Duck (1943, Clampett) (GC5)
What Makes Daffy Duck? (1948, Davis) (NEW TO DVD)
Book Revue (1946, Clampett) (GC2)
Deduce, You Say (1956, Jones) (GC1)
Porky In Wackyland (1938, Clampett) (GC2)
You Ought To Be In Pictures (1940, Freleng) (GC2)
Porky In Egypt (1938, Clampett) (GC3)
Back Alley Oproar (1948, Freleng) (GC2)
Little Red Rodent Hood (1952, Freleng) (GC5)
Canned Feud (1951, Freleng) (GC1)
Gift Wrapped (1952, Freleng) (GC2)
Birdy And The Beast (1944, Clampett) (NEW TO DVD)
Home, Tweet Home (1950, Freleng) (NEW TO DVD)
Going! Going! Gosh! (1952, Jones) (GC2)
Zipping Along (1953, Jones) (GC2)
Scent-Imental Romeo (1951, Jones) (Pepe DVD)
The Foghorn Leghorn (1948, McKimson) (GC1)
The High And The Flighty (1956, McKimson) (NEW TO DVD)
Tabasco Road (1957, McKimson) (GC4)
Mexicali Shmoes (1959, Freleng) (GC4)

DISC 2
Wabbit Twouble (1941, Clampett) (GC1)
Rabbit Fire (1951, Jones) (GC1)
Rabbit Seasoning (1952, Jones) (GC1)
Duck! Rabbit, Duck! (1953, Jones) (GC3)
Drip-Along Daffy (1951, Jones) (GC1)
My Little Duckaroo (1954, Jones) (GC6)
Barbary-Coast Bunny (1956, Jones) (GC4)
Tortoise Beats Hare (1941, Avery) (GC2)
Tortoise Wins By A Hare (1943, Clampett) (GC1)
Rabbit Transit (1947, Freleng) (GC2)
Porky’s Hare Hunt (1938, Hardaway/Dalton) (NEW TO DVD)
Hare-Um Scare-Um (1939, Hardaway/Dalton) (NEW TO DVD)
Prest-O Change-O (1939, Jones) (NEW TO DVD)
Elmer’s Candid Camera (1940, Jones) (GC1)
Bugs Bunny Gets The Boid (1942, Clampett) (GC1)
The Bashful Buzzard (1945, Clampett) (GC5)
The Lion’s Busy (1950, Freleng) (NEW TO DVD)
Strife With Father (1950, McKimson) (NEW TO DVD)
An Itch In Time (1943, Clampett) (GC3)
A Horsefly Fleas (1947, McKimson) (NEW TO DVD)
Hollywood Steps Out (1941, Avery) (GC2)
Page Miss Glory (1936, Avery) (GC6)
Rocket-Bye Baby (1956, Jones) (GC6)
Russian Rhapsody (1944, Clampett) (GC6)
Dough Ray Me-Ow (1948, Davis) (GC4)

DISC 3 (Included in Blu-ray Only)
King-Size Comedy: Tex Avery and the Looney Tunes Revolution (new documentary)
Tex Avery, the King of Cartoons (1988 film)
Friz on Film (GC extra, 70-minute documentary)
ToonHeads: The Lost Cartoons (GC extra, from the TV show)
Real American Zero: The Adventures of Private Snafu (GC extra)
The World of Leon Schlesinger (GC extra)
Friz at MGM (Captain and the Kids cartoons) (GC extra)
The Best of the Rest of Tex (MGM cartoons? unknown)
Private Snafu (GC extra)
Mr. Hook (GC extra)

So, what’s new? What Makes Daffy Duck is a great wacky Daffy cartoon, one of Davis’ best. Birdy and the Beast is the last Clampett Tweety cartoon to be restored for DVD/Blu-Ray, and he’s at his nastiest. Home Tweet Home is the last remaining early Sylvester/Tweety pairup not to be on DVD. The High and the Flighty features the one off pairing of Foghorn Leghorn with Daffy Duck, here a traveling salesman.

Porky’s Hare Hunt is the first appearance of ‘proto-Bugs’, a goofy, Woody Woodpecker-ish rabbit that eventually evolved into the Bugs who debuted in A Wild Hare. Hare-Um Scare-Um features the same rabbit, and should have its original ending, lost for more than 70 years, restored! (This is the biggest reason to get the set.) Prest-O Change-O features Jones’ Two Curious Puppies, dialogue-free characters he used in the early days, battling a white rabbit who, again, is one of Bugs’ ancestors.

The Lion’s Busy features Beaky Buzzard, and has him battling an eccentric lion in a battle of wits and patience. (Beaky is smarter here than his other three cartoons.) Strife With Father is Beaky’s last cartoon, and is a parody of actor Ronald Coleman, here cast as an English Sparrow. Lastly, A Horsefly Fleas features the return of the ‘Food Around The Corner’ flea, who is still looking for a place to stay and eat.

Is that enough to justify buying 40 cartoons over again? Well, I suppose it depends how hardcore a fan you are!

Last week at Manga Bookshelf, July 22nd-28th

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Here’s what you may have missed at Manga Bookshelf last week, July 22nd-28th!

CLAMP was the keyword of the week, as we hosted July’s Manga Moveable Feast focusing on their work. These were the contributions from Manga Bookshelf bloggers:

You can find the full archive of posts here.

In other news….

From the main blog:

Matt Blind checked out online manga bestsellers from the weeks ending June 17th and June 24th.

In the latest installment of “It Came from the Sinosphere,” Sara K. looked at the idol drama Autumn’s Concerto.

From The Manga Critic:

Kate asked, Who’s Your Favorite Female Shonen Artist?

From A Case Suitable for Treatment:

Sean reviewed Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 6, The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan, Vol. 1, and Angel Para Bellum, Vol. 1. He also took a look at Manga the Week of 8/1.

From MangaBlog:

Back from SDCC, Brigid did some linking with San Diego recap & some things to look forward to, Viz speaks!, and News from JManga, new manga on the shelves.

CLAMP MMF Links: Final Roundup!

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The CLAMP MMF has finally come to a close! Here is the roundup of links for Day 7 of the CLAMP Manga Moveable Feast!

From your host: I spent the day yesterday wallowing in my newfound love of the shoujo-tastic artwork from CLAMP’s X, and comparing it to some other beloved series from the early-mid 1990s in The Shoujo Beauty of X. Come along and wallow with me!


X, Vol. 1 © 1992-1993 CLAMP, English edition published by VIZ Media

Also here at Manga Bookshelf, MMF guest contributor Brett Stockmeier offers up an essay defending Chobits, Chobits: Deconstructing the Love Story.

“I have reservations about declaring CLAMP set out with Chobits to debunk these visual novel universes and their tropes. From what I have glimpsed of the group and their unique way of creating, it’s impossible to say what their goal was in its creation. It may be that their intent was more innocent: to bring a touch of shoujo to the seinen market. Chobits just may have been the unique product spawned by this fusion. On the other hand, if they might possibly have had no involvement with the visual novel and the changes to the anime (as has been suggested to me), it could be that I have glimpsed a small part of their intentions in creating Chobits. I understand why the story might put off their traditionally female dominated audience, but I do believe plot itself (and not just the philosophical questions it brings up) has serious merit to it, and I hope that my ideas may help to redeem the series in the eyes of others.”

And on the lighter side, Brett makes his case for The Greatest Conversation CLAMP has ever written. Join him in comments to share your own favorites!

In her tumblr Tatakae Otaqueen!, Kathryn Cwynar discusses her different experiences with xxxHolic and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle and declares, But from now on, I’m hedging my bets!

At Soliloquy in Blue, Michelle Smith and guest Karen Peck do a little Chatting About CLAMP, specifically Legal Drug and Suki.

Mia Lewis shares some thoughts on Looking back at the self: Exploring the comic medium from within at her blog, Painting Worlds With Words, and also provides a link to her CLAMP-focused thesis paper (download an updated version here) and another related paper, Shojo and Shonen: Recent Trends in the Visual Codes of Manga Genres.

At The Beautiful World, Ayame discusses CLAMP’s X along with two other series in Grief and Loss in Anime: a case examination of Puella Madoka Magica Magi, Mawaru Penguindrum and X.

Jason Yadao shares some history on CLAMP’s Gate 7 at the Honolulu Star Advertiser, along with his impressions of the series so far in CLAMP’s “Gate 7”: The grand experiment that wasn’t.

In the tumblr blog Xia’s Shiny Page, Christina shares her love of Tsubasa‘s Kurogane (I’m with you all the way, Christina!), in Kurogane: A Remarkable Character.

At The Manga Report, Anna takes a look at two CLAMP series, Cardcaptor Sakura Omnibus Vol. 1 and all four volumes of Wish. Be sure to check out her Wish giveaway at that second link as well!

And finally, at Manga Xanadu, Lori Henderson reviews volumes 1-10 of RG Veda.

This has been your final roundup of links for the CLAMP MMF! Many, many thanks to everyone who participated. Late entries may be submitted by email to mj@mangabookshelf.com or via Twitter to @mjbeasi for inclusion in the archive.

For August’s installment of the Manga Moveable Feast, head over to the Eeepers Choice Podcast where Phillip will be hosting discussion on Eiji Ōtsuka and Housui Yamazaki’s The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service!

The Greatest Conversation CLAMP has ever written

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Okawa has long been my favorite member of CLAMP. Her stories are unlike any other I’ve read, and it’s always going to be my opinion that the great art alone (provided by the other three members of CLAMP) can only go so far. In deciding how else I could contribute to the CLAMP MMF with deadlines looming, sleep oncoming and a job awaiting me in the morning, I decided to share what is, in my opinion, the greatest single dialogue CLAMP has ever written between their characters, found in X Volume 13 (omnibus 5 at the rate Viz is releasing them; you can also see it in the X anime in “Newborn”), which challenged my perceptions of all human beings head-on in a way nothing before ever had. Also included is the follow-up conversation.

(reads left-to-right — click images to enlarge)



*****






X/1999, Vol. 13 © 1999 CLAMP, New adapted artwork and text © 2003 VIZ, LLC

So what do you think? There’s a lot that you could write about from the exchange… What do you think about Satsuki’s arguments against humanity? What about Kusanagi’s answer?

Okawa’s written lots of great dialogue through the years… is there another conversation that particularly stands out to you?

CLAMP MMF Links: Day 6

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Here is your roundup of links for Day 6 of the CLAMP Manga Moveable Feast!

From your host: Yesterday, Michelle and I looked at the artwork of two CLAMP series that share a similar premise, Legal Drug and xxxHolic, and discussed some of the different ways in which the group visually portrays supernatural events—especially when writing for different demographics. Check it out at Soliloquy in Blue: Let’s Get Visual: A Tale of Two Series.

Of course, Michelle and I weren’t the only limbs of the Manga Bookshelf Battle Robot to get our CLAMP on yesterday.

At A Case Suitable for Treatment, Sean Gaffney muses on some of his frustrations with CLAMP’s recent work with Some Thoughts on CLAMP.

“Yeah, it’s time to come out and say it. While there’s lots of recent CLAMP stuff I enjoy for a certain character, or a story arc, or maybe an interesting idea to start things off… when it comes to modern CLAMP I always find more problems than I really want to … As CLAMP have matured over the years, they’ve gained a depth to the quality of their storytelling. And while this is normally a thing to applaud, I think with their group it highlights that they come up with fantastic ideas and are not always so good at following through.”

And at The Manga Critic, Kate Dacey uses CLAMP’s shounen work as the jumping off point for a larger discussion about female artists creating for that demographic: Open Thread: Who’s Your Favorite Female Shonen Artist? There is already some lively discussion in the comment section—head on over and join in!

That’s all the links for Saturday! Check back tomorrow for our final roundup!

To submit your contributions to the CLAMP MMF for inclusion in this month’s archive, please send your links by email to mj@mangabookshelf.com or via Twitter to @mjbeasi. If you would like your contribution(s) to be hosted at Manga Bookshelf, please email them to MJ, along with any included images.

CLAMP MMF Links: Day 5

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Here is your roundup of links for Day 5 of the CLAMP Manga Moveable Feast!

From your host: Yesterday, I used the CLAMP MMF as an excuse to revive one of my favorite older columns, Fanservice Friday, with Fanservice Friday: The Fujoshi Heart of CLAMP. ‘Shippers, come and talk to me!


Legal Drug, Vol. 2 © 2001 CLAMP, English text @2004 TOKYOPOP

Friday was sparse in comparison to the rest of the Feast so far, but we did have two bloggers who weighed in.

At Experiments in Manga, Ash Brown took a look at Clover.

“The most striking thing about Clover is its artwork. The style itself is similar to those used in other works by CLAMP, but what makes it stand out from other manga (and not just other CLAMP manga) is the group’s use of innovative and unusual panel layouts and page designs. The individual panels tend to focus closely in on a particular element; these fragments are then gathered together as a whole on the page in interesting and varied ways. CLAMP isn’t afraid of overlap or white space and relatively few panels are used on a page, giving the overall presentation of Clover a minimalist feel. CLAMP’s artwork revels in the small details, moments, and movements without becoming overly complicated.”

And at The Beautiful World, Ayame continues her CLAMP exploration this week with Retrospect on CLAMP: In good and bad times…

That’s all the links for Friday! Stay tuned as the Feast continues!

To submit your contributions to the CLAMP MMF for inclusion in this month’s archive, please send your links by email to mj@mangabookshelf.com or via Twitter to @mjbeasi. If you would like your contribution(s) to be hosted at Manga Bookshelf, please email them to MJ, along with any included images.

Some Thoughts on CLAMP

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“And everyone lived happily ever after?”
“Well, no, almost everybody died.”
— David Addison and Agnes DiPesto, Moonlighting

(Spoilers for the ending of xxxHOLIC are within this article)

I’d been going back and forth about what to write for this month’s Manga Moveable Feast. I could always just punt and link to the many prior CLAMP reviews I’ve done – but that would be wrong. So I started pondering titles of theirs that I really enjoyed that I could discuss. Man of Many Faces, CLAMP School Detectives, Card Captor Sakura, Magic Knight Rayearth, Wish, Suki…

Hey wait, aren’t those all over 12 years old? Why don’t I talk about the more recent CLAMP series I’m a huge fan of?

…oh.

Yeah, it’s time to come out and say it. While there’s lots of recent CLAMP stuff I enjoy for a certain character, or a story arc, or maybe an interesting idea to start things off… when it comes to modern CLAMP I always find more problems than I really want to. It’s not even that they used to ‘write happy endings and now they don’t’, as I sometimes whined about on Twitter. RG Veda, Tokyo Babylon and X are not exactly happy fun times. And Kobato is a recent light and fluffy series that really never appealed to me at all.

As CLAMP have matured over the years, they’ve gained a depth to the quality of their storytelling. And while this is normally a thing to applaud, I think with their group it highlights that they come up with fantastic ideas and are not always so good at following through. Their first major epic will likely never be finished, partly due to events beyond their control and disagreements with Kadokawa Shoten, but also I think due to a lack of desire to return to it (let’s face it, I think if they really wanted to, X could be completed, apocalyptic earthquake images or no). Chobits was their attempt to write a seinen manga that also examined the otaku obsession with perfect virgin toys, but it was designed to discomfit as much as entertain, and also had enough fanservice that I felt they were trying to have their cake and eat it too.

Then there is Tsubasa. It has to be said, the main reason why I have so much difficulty with CLAMP in the 00s may be Tsubasa, if only due to its kudzu-like qualities. Tsubasa was CLAMP starting up a ‘star system’ for their characters, similar to Tezuka, where beloved characters we’ve seen before are shown in new and different roles – particularly Card Captor Sakura’s stars. And I quite enjoyed the first few volumes. It ran in Weekly Shonen Magazine, so there was a lot of action and magic, as well as the usual CLAMP BL tease between Fai and Kurogane, the manga’s only two ‘original’ characters. Indeed, seeing Sorata and Arashi as a happy couple (well, as happy as Arashi gets) in one world almost made the entire manga worth it.

But starting from around the second half, where they run into most of the X cast in an AU retelling of that world… epic plotlines that bring together elements from all your worlds are all very well and good, as long as you can keep things understandable and have a simple logic to everything. This became impossible towards the end of Tsubasa. I’ll be honest, I’m still not quite sure what happened, and after about the 4th clone I didn’t really want to go back and read it all again to find out. More to the point, everyone became so MISERABLE. Granted, Kurogane and Syaoran are normally not happy go lucky, but the angst was piled on in a way that felt overdone.

I’d mentioned Tsubasa was kudzu, mostly as I felt it grew to strangle everything it touched. No work felt that touch more than xxxHOLIC. The series were always intended to be lightly connected – the two had occasional crossover chapters when Yuko’s magic was needed – but for a while it was possible to read xxxHOLIC without bothering with Tsubasa at all. And then came the revelations about Watanuki. Now, I am totally biased about this. If I had to pick my favorite post-2000 CLAMP series, xxxHOLIC would win in a walk. And Watanuki is the main reason for this. He’s their best character in years, snarky without being a jerk, angsty without being overdone, and the perfect straight man to Yuko’s shenanigans, Himawari’s cheeriness, and Doumeki’s deadpan style.

And then, right around Volume 13, it becomes impossible to read xxxHOLIC without understanding what’s going on in Tsubasa. Now, this is hardly unique to CLAMP, and is a great way to get people to buy multiple series. The problem is what it does to xxxHOLIC: the plot stops. Seriously, all forward motion for the remaining few volumes simply halts. CLAMP must have been aware of this, they certainly telegraphed it enough. Watanuki ends up not even being able to leave the confines of the shop. Himawari and Doumeki both leave offscreen, Himawari to get married to someone we never see or hear about, and things finally grind to a halt 100 years later, where… everything is still in stasis. If Tsubasa ends with a giant 50-car pileup of plots, xxxHOLIC drifts to the side of the road and fills with carbon monoxide.

Another issue with the way CLAMP’s star systems work is that they continue some of their characters’ stories after the ‘happily ever after’ of their own titles… even if you don’t want them to. Tezuka, at least, never pretended that when you saw Rock in one title and then another, it was the same Rock later in his life. But two of my favorite cute and fuzzy early CLAMP series, Campus Detectives and Man of Many Faces, both have their leads show up in minor roles… in X. Really, CLAMP, really? I went through two volumes of adorable fluff between Akira and Utako (you too will believe in the romance between a 9-year-old and 5-year-old!) only to see them in THIS plot? So I guess they lived happily ever after until their world was consumed in fire, then.

Part of maturity is in seeing that things aren’t just black and white, and that every happily ever after is followed by ‘until they died’, because such is life. And yet this is fiction, not reality. And dammit, I admit it: I liked CLAMP better when they did sugar-candy coated happy endings. They didn’t even have to be shallow: no one is accusing Card Captor Sakura or Rayearth of a lack of drama. But in getting deeper and more complicated, CLAMP has also made things far more convoluted than they needed to be, developed ideas that tended to have unforeseen and unfortunate issues if you really thought about it (hi, Angelic Layer!), and show off a disturbing lack of pacing that may also come from ‘we are famous enough so that we can be serialized whenever we put a few pages together’ (xxxHOLIC, towards the end of its run, sometimes ran for only 8-9 pages per issue).

This is not apparently going to be ending soon. Their new continuation of Legal Drug, now retitled Drug & Drop, apparently has Watanuki popping up, and also crosses with Kobato. CLAMP just likes doing this. Which is fine. I just miss the old, uncomplicated CLAMP, with simple plots in a shoujo vein. Modern CLAMP is fascinating, but that fascination can also turn into a fatal attraction.

CLAMP MMF Links: Day 4

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Here is your roundup of links for Day 4 of the CLAMP Manga Moveable Feast!

From your host: In an MMF edition of 3 Things Thursday, I talk about my 3 Favorite CLAMP Women. Who are your favorites? Come share with us in comments!

In her latest edition of The Best Manga You’re Not Reading, Kate Dacey sings the praises of Suki, CLAMP’s three-volume manga about a childlike teenager’s complicated lessons in love at The Manga Critic.

“The brilliant sociopath, the hooker with the heart of gold, and the naïf are my three least favorite character types, the first two for their tiresome ubiquity in popular culture, and the third for being tiresome: when was the last time you read a story about a sweet, innocent person that didn’t make you feel horribly manipulated or horribly jaded? Imagine my surprise, then, at discovering CLAMP’s delightfully odd series Suki: A Like Story, which revolves around a brilliant but impossibly naive teenager who trusts everyone, reads picture books, and talks to teddy bears. I thought I’d be tearing my breast in agony by the end of the first chapter; instead, I quickly succumbed to Suki‘s charms and even suppressed a sniffle or two in the final pages.”

At Poisoned Rationality, Lexie shares her personal history with CLAMP in CLAMP and me.

Two participants took the opportunity to discuss CLAMP’s X yesterday—Ayame at The Beautiful World and Phillip Anthony here at Manga Bookshelf.

At The Manga Report, Anna shares her review of Legal Drug, and at Heart of Manga, Laura looks at Kobato.

That’s all the links for Thursday! Stay tuned as the Feast continues!

To submit your contributions to the CLAMP MMF for inclusion in this month’s archive, please send your links by email to mj@mangabookshelf.com or via Twitter to @mjbeasi. If you would like your contribution(s) to be hosted at Manga Bookshelf, please email them to MJ, along with any included images.

CLAMP MMF Links: Day 3

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Here is your roundup of links for Day 3 of the CLAMP Manga Moveable Feast!

From your host: In a special edition of Off the Shelf, Michelle and I are joined by our NANA Project collaborator, Danielle Leigh, for an epic discussion of my favorite CLAMP series, Tokyo Babylon. Come join in the discussion!

At Contemporary Japanese Literature, Kathryn Hemmann offers us a thoughtful essay on Purity and Power in Magic Knight Rayearth.

“Just as female fans of Sailor Moon are able to find messages of feminist empowerment in the series instead of polymorphously perverse possibilities for sexual titillation, female creators like CLAMP are able to stage feminist critiques of real-world sexual economies of desire within their application of gendered narrative tropes. Therefore, when cultural theorists such as Saitō Tamaki discuss otaku immersing themselves in fantasies that have nothing to do with the real world, they acknowledge shōjo series like Sailor Moon and Magic Knight Rayearth but completely fail to take into account the female viewers, readers, and creators for whom fictional female characters are not entirely removed from reality.”

Over at the Organization Anti-Social Geniuses, LCMoran names CLAMP the site’s Creator of the Month.

And at Manga Village, Lori Henderson takes a look at volumes five and six of Kobato.

That’s all the links for Wednesday! Stay tuned as the Feast continues!

To submit your contributions to the CLAMP MMF for inclusion in this month’s archive, please send your links by email to mj@mangabookshelf.com or via Twitter to @mjbeasi. If you would like your contribution(s) to be hosted at Manga Bookshelf, please email them to MJ, along with any included images.

CLAMP MMF Links: Day 2

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Here is your roundup of links for Day 2 of the CLAMP Manga Moveable Feast!

From your host: I take some time to explain Why you should read Cardcaptor Sakura, including lots of pretty images and general sighing.

At The Manga Critic, Kate favors us with her 5 Favorite CLAMP Manga, including titles like X, Clover, and Shirahime-Syo: Snow Goddess Tales.

“Shirahime-Syo: Snow Goddess Tales is testament to CLAMP’s Borg-like ability assimilate any genre or artistic style and make it into their own. The three stories that comprise this slim volume are folkloric in tone and subject-matter, but expressed in a visual language that’s a beautiful synthesis of shojo manga and ukiyo print-making; the characters — with their pointy chins and artfully tousled hair — inhabit stark landscapes reminiscent of the Kishi and Shijo schools.”

Over at Heart of Manga, Laura reminisces about the first CLAMP manga she ever read, in Memorable Manga Moment: Chobits vol. 1.

Yesterday in reviews, Lori Henderson gives the first volume of Gate 7 a try at Manga Xanadu, Ayame spends some time with Tokyo Babylon at The Beautiful World, and Lexie (a girl after my own heart) takes a look at Cardcaptor Sakura at Poisoned Rationality.

That’s all the links for Tuesday! Stay tuned as the Feast continues!

To submit your contributions to the CLAMP MMF for inclusion in this month’s archive, please send your links by email to mj@mangabookshelf.com or via Twitter to @mjbeasi. If you would like your contribution(s) to be hosted at Manga Bookshelf, please email them to MJ, along with any included images.

Last week at Manga Bookshelf, July 15th-21st

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Here’s what you may have missed at Manga Bookshelf last week, July 15th-21st!

From the main blog:

The Battle Robot files another installment of Bookshelf Briefs. We also make our Pick of the Week.

Matt Blind looks at online manga bestsellers from the week ending June 10th, 2012.

Derek Bown continues his Comment Commentary column with some strong words about Naruto.

In last week’s “It Came From the Sinosphere,” Sara K. introduces us to the Taiwanese comics anthology Creative Comics Collection.

From The Manga Critic:

Kate reports on new Yen Press licenses. She also takes a look at Laurianne Uy’s new comic Polterguys.

From A Case Suitable for Treatment:

Sean rounds up manga news from San Diego Comic Con. He also reviews Alice in the Country of Clover: Cheshire Cat Waltz, Vol. 1, One Piece, Vol. 63, Negima! Magister Negi Magi, Vol. 35, and Wonder!, Vol. 2 He also takes a look at Manga the Week of 7/25.

From MangaBlog:

Still holding down the fort, Kate provides us with some Monday morning manga links, as well as a batch for Wednesday.

CLAMP MMF Links: Day 1

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The CLAMP edition of the Manga Moveable Feast is well on its way! I kicked things off yesterday morning with my Introduction & CLAMP Directory, including an overview of all CLAMP’s works published in English.

The blogosphere was a-buzz with CLAMP yesterday, and I’m quite pleased to note that many of the entries I received came from writers outside the usual crowd. Keep ’em coming, fandom!

Over at the Organization Anti-Social Geniuses, Justin was so eager to start, he began a day early, expressing his (so far) disappointment with CLAMP’s work and asking for suggestions in Sunday Spotlight: Where Should One Start With CLAMP?

Jade at Jade’s Escape laments the difficulty of finding CLAMP fans in Okinawa, in CLAMP: The Known-Unknown Manga-ka.

“Who?”

“You know, CLAMP,” I said excitedly before repeating the name with Japanese pronunciation: “Ku-la-n-pu”. My Japanese co-worker scrunched up his face in the same way my students looked at me whenever I spoke English.

“Who?”

At Experiments in Manga, Ash Brown offers up a CLAMP-focused My Week in Manga: July 16-July 22, 2012.

Aaron speaks his mind at Manga Energy, sharing his personal view on one of CLAMP’s recurring themes, in Love Is Not All You Need: A Refutation of Clamp’s underlying philosphy of “love”.

At The Manga Otaku, Tiffany mulls over a few thoughts on Chobits.

And back home at Manga Bookshelf, Michelle, Sean, and I make CLAMP the subject of our latest Pick of the Week.

In CLAMP reviews, yesterday brought us Lexie’s take on Clover at Poisoned Rationality, and Ayame’s on Man of Many Faces at The Beautiful World.

That’s the roundup for Day 1! More to come! All entries are linked from the CLAMP MMF archive.

To submit your contributions to the CLAMP MMF for inclusion in this month’s archive, please send your links by email to mj@mangabookshelf.com or via Twitter to @mjbeasi. If you would like your contribution(s) to be hosted at Manga Bookshelf, please email them to MJ, along with any included images.