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Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Manga Industry Jobs

The Manga Review, 7/1/22

July 1, 2022 by Katherine Dacey Leave a Comment

Good news: The United Workers of Seven Seas (UW7S) achieved a major victory this week when the company agreed to recognize their union. Though management has not yet spoken to the press, the UW7S Twitter feed posted the following statement on June 24th: “This decision by Seven Seas eliminates the need for an NLRB conducted election and will pave the way for a more expedited path to bargaining a first contract. At a time when many employers continue to fight the unionization of their employees, we appreciate that Seven Seas decided to respect the voices of the majority of staff and recognize us. We look forward to developing a mutually beneficial relationship and reaching a collective bargaining agreement in the near future.” The path to a better contract and better working conditions, however, is a long one. As OASG contributor Krystallina notes, “Bloomberg Law estimates the average length of time for initial negotiations to be 409 days — in other words, 1 year, 1 month, and 2 weeks. One analyst says there’s only about a 50-50 chance of reaching an agreement in a year, with additional estimates calculating it will take about a year and a half.”

NEWS

After 247 chapters, Yuki Suegetsu will bring Chihayafuru to an end. The series, which has been running in Be Love since 2007, proved so popular with Japanese readers that it spawned three live-action films and three anime series. [Anime News Network]

Looking for a manga industry job? VIZ is currently advertising four positions in its publishing division: Copy Editor, Editor, Editor of Original Graphic Novels, and Publishing Production Assistant. [VIZ]

The American comics market is booming, according to industry experts Milton Griepp and John Jackson Miller. They report that “total comics and graphic novel sales to consumers in the U.S. and Canada were approximately $2.075 billion, a 62% increase over sales in 2020.” Comics performed well at many types of retail outlets as well. As Griepp observes, “Sales through comic stores were up 60% vs. last year and 34% vs. 2019; sales through the book channel, including book fairs (which were back in operation) grew at a blistering 81% pace. Digital growth, while slower, was coming off a gangbuster year in 2020 during the shutdowns.” [ICv2]

FEATURES, INTERVIEWS, AND PODCASTS

As Pride Month comes to a close, Okazu reader Meru explains how reading yuri manga played an important role in their decision to come out as transgender. “When I look at Yuri, I see myself: I see the soft butches that could, in another series, be they/them or even they/he,” they note. “I see bodies and ideals and identities that mirror myself. I feel less alone. I feel natural in a country that would rather me turn my back on playing at soft masculinity and gender ambivalence in exchange for kitten heels, a lack of body hair, and legs crossed at the ankle. When I crack open a volume of Yuri and see tomboys and boyish girls and girls straddling the lines of socially acceptable gender and being themselves.” [Okazu]

If you’re a fan of Daytime Shooting star, Deb Aoki thinks you might like Mika Yamamori’s latest series, In the Clear Moonlit Dusk. [Mangasplaining]

On the newest installment of Manga Mavericks, Colton and Lum check in with ongoing series Haikyu!! and Magu-Chan!, and look at new offerings from VIZ, Manga Plus, and Azuki. [Manga Mavericks]

The Manga Machinations crew discuss three series that explore different facets of the LBGTQ experience: New York, New York; Catch These Hands!; and I Want to Be a Wall. [Manga Machinations]

Kory, Helen, and Apryll dedicate the latest Manga In Your Ears podcast to My Solo Exchange Diary and Yuri Is My Job! [Taiiku Podcast]

Paul Semel and Anne Ishii interview Gengoroh Tagame about Our Colours, a coming-of-age story that centers on a queer teen artist. “It’s something I’d wanted to read as a middle and high schooler myself, so decided to write for my own self,” Tagame explains. As I’m now in my 50s, I think of it as a gift to myself 40 years ago.” [Paul Semel]

Also of interest: Cayla Coates talks to Okura about I Think Our Son Is Gay, a gentle comedy about a woman who begins questioning her son’s sexual orientation. “I’ve always felt that gay people in manga and drama are often portrayed as either comic relief or someone with struggles and hardship.,” Okura observes. “I wanted to draw what I consider to be natural, ordinary gay people.” [Crunchyroll]

REVIEWS

Erica Friedman delves into the latest installment of Even Though We’re Adults, singling out the translation and lettering for special praise. “Jocelyne Allen’s translation is outstanding, in providing the nuance and ‘adultness’ this series needs,” she notes, while the “lettering and retouch by Rina Mapa lets’ me feel in the story in exactly the same way as I do when I’m reading the Japanese.” Meanwhile, Megan D. explores the forgotten corners of Tokyopop’s BL catalog with a look at Innocent Bird, “a limp, shallow romance… illustrated with an indifferent and murky hand,” and Christopher Chiu-Tabet continues his retrospective on Sailor Moon with a look at issues 15-20.

  • Cat + Gamer, Vol. 1 (A.M. Ziebruh, Bloom Reviews)
  • Chainsaw Man, Vols. 10-11 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
  • Death Note: Short Stories (Harry, Honey’s Anime)
  • The Elusive Samurai, Vol. 1 (Lesley Aeschliman, Lesley’s Anime and Manga Corner)
  • Fangirl, Vol. 2 (Johanna Draper Carlson, Comics Worth Reading)
  • Hikaru in the Light!, Vol. 1 (Bill Curtis, Yatta-Tachi)
  • Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible, Vol. 2 (Lesley Aeschliman, Lesley’s Anime and Manga Corner)
  • Love After World Domination, Vol. 4 (Justin, The OASG)
  • Magical Artisan Dahlia Wilts No More, Vol. 1 (A.M. Ziebruh, Bloom Reviews)
  • Our Colours (Ron, Game-News24)
  • Sensei’s Pious Lie, Vol. 1 (Joh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
  • Sex Ed 120%, Vol. 3 (Justin, The OASG)
  • Shortcake Cake, Vol. 1 (Kaley Connell, Yatta-Tachi)
  • To Strip the Flesh (Brianna Lawrence, The Mary Sue)
  • To Strip the Flesh (Lesley Aeschliman, Lesley’s Anime and Manga Corner)
  • Uncle From Another World, Vols. 1-2 (Helen, The OASG)
  • Until I Meet My Husband (Danica Davidson, Otaku USA)
  • Welcome Back, Alice, Vol. 1 (Danica Davidson, Otaku USA)
  • Whisper Me a Love Song, Vols. 1-4 (Anson Leung, Broken Frontier)
  • With a Dog AND a Cat, Every Day Is Fun, Vols. 3-4 (Krystallina, The OASG)
  • With You and the Rain, Vols. 1-2 (Justin, The OASG)
  • Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, Vol. 1 (Renee Scott, Good Comics for Kids)
  • Yuri Espoir, Vol. 1 (Rebecca Silverman, Anime News Network)

Filed Under: FEATURES Tagged With: Gengoroh Tagame, LGBTQ Manga, Manga Industry Jobs, Manga Sales Analysis, Mika Yamamori, Seven Seas, UW7S, VIZ, yuri

The Manga Review, 6/17/22

June 17, 2022 by Katherine Dacey Leave a Comment

Big news from Yen Press: the publisher is launching IZE Press, a new imprint dedicated to Korean webnovels and webtoons. The imprint will debut this fall with three series created by HYBE and global pop stars BTS, as well as six additional titles: Tomb Raider King, The World After the Fall, The Boxer, My Gently Raised Beast, The Remarried Empress, and Villains Are Destined to Die. Explains JuYoun Lee, the Deputy Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Yen Press, “we couldn’t be more excited to get a chance to really open up the doors to put these beautiful books in the hands of English-language readers.” I’m still a little salty that the original manhwa boom went bust–remember Dokebi Bride or Goong?–but optimistic that the current market will be more receptive to Korean comics.

NEWS

Are you looking for a job in the publishing field? Yen Press is currently advertising a range of editorial, marketing, and accounting positions. [Yen Press]

The May NPD Bookscan numbers are in, and manga made a strong showing on the Top 20 Author Graphic Novels chart , with volumes of Solo Leveling occupying four of six top slots. Spy x Family continues to dominate the Top 20 Manga chart, though Death Note Short Stories and Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun also posted strong sales. [ICv2]

Justin Lin–best known for his work on the Fast & Furious franchise–has been hired to direct a live-action adaptation of One-Punch Man. [Deadline]

FEATURES, INTERVIEWS, AND PODCASTS

In honor of Pride Month, Latonya Pennington has posted a thoughtful exploration of the last 100 years of queer representation in manga. “A hundred years after the debut of the first yuri novel and twenty years after the publication of Wandering Son, LGBTQ+ manga has greatly matured in terms of their creators, content, and its subgenres,” she notes. “When it comes to manga with transgender characters and themes, there are more options than ever before… On the yuri and yaoi side of manga, both subgenres have moved beyond the teenaged schoolyard romances that were present at the genre’s inception. There are not only gay and lesbian manga featuring adult main characters, but also manga in different fictional genres.” [Popverse]

What LBGTQ+ manga would you like to see adapted into an anime? [Anime Feminist]

And speaking of queer manga, Kory, Helen, and Apryll discuss the merits of two recent titles: BL Fans LOVE My Brother?!, a done-in-one story from Tokyopop, and Even Though We’re Adults, an ongoing yuri series published by Seven Seas. [The Taiiku Podcast]

The latest Manga Machinations episode looks at 10 Dance, Classmates, and Ruri Dragon. [Manga Machinations]

Ashley and Asher investigate Flower in a Storm, a short romantic comedy about a super-rich boy and a headstrong girl. [Shojo & Tell]

The gang at Honey’s Anime compile a list of manga that they didn’t see through to the end. [Honey’s Anime]

Brigid Alverson interviews Seven Seas’ Lianne Sentar and Lissa Pattillo about the challenges and rewards of bringing Asian webtoons to the US market. “I think a huge factor is the convenience of the format,” they note. “Do you have a smartphone and an Internet connection? Here: endless comics to scroll through (discreetly!) during your lunch break, wherever you are. If you look at Asian markets like Japan and Korea, there’s a huge audience of people reading comics on their phones while commuting in public transit like trains. I think newer generations in particular are adding comic reading to the many other leisure activities they do on their phone, and in North America, the boom in Middle Grade comics over the last 5-10 years has seeded millions of new readers who are comfortable reading long-form, sequential comics the way they would ingest other media (prose, TV, etc.).” [ICv2]

REVIEWS

Over at Anime UK News, Sarah posts a glowing review of Gengoroh Tagame’s Our Colors, while No Flying No Tights declares Junji Ito’s Deserter a mixed bag. “That’s not to say this is a bad collection, but Ito has such wonderfully scary other pieces that many in this volume fell flat for me,” Kris notes. The latest Reader’s Corner is up at Beneath the Tangles, with brief reviews of Alice in Borderland, Golden Gold, and To Strip the Flesh.

  • Adachi and Shimamura, Vol. 3 (Jaime, Yuri Stargirl)
  • Aria The Masterpiece, Vol. 1 (HWR, Anime UK News)
  • Cat + Gamer, Vol. 1 (Justin, The OASG)
  • Chainsaw Man, Vol. 11 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
  • Crazy Food Truck, Vol. 1 (Christopher Farris, Anime News Network)
  • Creature! (Krystallina, Daiyamanga)
  • Ghost Reaper Girl, Vol. 1 (Dallas Marshall, CBR)
  • Hard-Boiled Cop & Dolphin, Vols. 2-3 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
  • Heterogenia Linguistico, Vol. 1 (Jennifer, No Flying No Tights)
  • I Think Our Son Is Gay, Vols. 1-2 (Andy Oliver, Broken Frontier)
  • I Want to Be a Wall, Vol. 1 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
  • Ima Koi: Now I’m In Love, Vol. 2 (Rebecca Silverman, Anime News Network)
  • Jujutsu Kaisen, Vol. 16 (Marina Z., But Why Tho?)
  • Lost Lad London, Vol. 1 (Kevin Rodriguez, The Fandom Post)
  • Mashle: Magic and Muscles, Vols. 5-6 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
  • The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again, Today, Vol. 3 (Johanna Draper Carlson, Comics Worth Reading)
  • My Dress-Up Darling, Vol. 1 (SKJAM, SKJAM! Reviews)
  • My Love Mix-Up, Vol. 4 (Kate Sánchez, But Why Tho?)
  • Nightfall Travelers: Leave Only Footprints, Vol. 1 (Al, Al’s Manga Blog)
  • Reign of the Seven Spellblades, Vol. 5 (Antonio Mireles, The Fandom Post)
  • Run on Your New Legs, Vol. 1 (Rebecca Silverman, Anime News Network)
  • Something’s Wrong With Us, Vol. 1 (Kaley Connell, Yatta-Tachi)
  • Something’s Wrong With Us, Vols. 7-8 (Demelza, Anime UK News)
  • Summertime Rendering, Vols. 1-2 (Helen Chazan, The Comics Journal)
  • That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: The Ways of the Monster Nation, Vol. 7 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
  • Total Eclipse of the Eternal Heart (Megan D., The Manga Test Drive)
  • What Did You Eat Yesterday?, Vol. 18 (Johanna Draper Carlson, Comics Worth Reading)
  • Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku, Vol. 6 (Johanna Draper Carlson, Comics Worth Reading)
  • Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, Vol. 1 (Nick Smith, ICv2)

Filed Under: FEATURES Tagged With: LBGTQ Manga, Manga Industry Jobs, Manga Sales Analysis, manhwa, one punch man, Seven Seas, Shojo & Tell, webtoons, yen press

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