Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Combat Commentary: One Piece (Overview)
Manga Bestsellers: 2012, Week Ending 8 July
It Came From the Sinosphere: The Fox Volant of Snow Mountain
Monday, July 30, 2012
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Open Thread: Who's Your Favorite Female Shonen Artist?
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Let's Get Visual: A Tale of Two Series
Friday, July 27, 2012
The Best Manga You're Not Reading: Suki
News from JManga, new manga on the shelves
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Manga Bestsellers: 2012, Week Ending 24 June
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
CLAMP MMF: Introduction & CLAMP Directory
San Diego recap and some things to look forward to
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Friday, July 20, 2012
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Combat Commentary: Naruto (The Entire Series)
It Came From the Sinosphere: Creative Comics Collection
Monday, July 16, 2012
Pick of the Week: Nagato, Sakuran, 13th Boy final!
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Manga Bestsellers: 2012, Week Ending 10 June
Off the Shelf: Communicable Crankiness
Friday, July 13, 2012
These aren't the Androids you're looking for'
PR: VIZ Expands Digital Manga Offerings to Android Smart Phones
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Do you know the way to San Diego?
If you're headed to San Diego Comic-Con this week, make MTV Geek your first stop. I've compiled a list of all the major manga events, as well as a list of the manga publishers that will be exhibiting on the show floor. Planning to attend on Saturday? Be sure to check out The Best and Worst Manga of 2012 session, in which an all-star panel of manga pundits will discuss the year's most memorable titles.
Tokyopop has been asking fans, via Twitter, if they would like to see more OEL manga. Sean Kleefeld has some thoughts on that, and on what might have been.
David Brothers looks at a particularly good example of Kiyohiko Azuma's use of body language in Yotsuba&!.
At 2Chan, Shii translates a discussion of changes to an end-note from Osamu Tezuka's early manga Magic House.
Reviews: Ash Brown takes us through a week of manga at Experiments in Manga.
Dave Ferraro on 5 Centimeters Per Second (Comics-and-More)
Kristin on 5 Centimeters Per Second (Comic Attack)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 5 of Bleach (The Comic Book Bin)
Kate Dacey on vol. 2 of The Flowers of Evil (The Manga Critic)
Rob McMonigal on issue 5 of GEN (Panel Patter)
Johanna Draper Carlson on The Manga Guide to Linear Algebra (Comics Worth Reading)
Michael Buntag on vol. 2 of Sailor Moon (NonSensical Words)
Erica Friedman on vol. 18 of Tsubomi (Okazu)
The Flowers of Evil, Vol. 2
Kasuga, the earnest hero of The Flowers of Evil, finds himself in a similar situation at the beginning of volume two: Saeki, the classmate whom he's loved from afar, has finally consented to go on a date with him. As they wander the aisles of his favorite bookstore, Kasuga confesses to Saeki that Baudelaire's Fleurs du Mal 'changed how I see the world. I felt as though I'd been an ignorant fool my whole life.' It's a cringe-inducing moment ' not because Saeki mocks Kasuga, or recoils from him, but because Kasuga has exposed himself in such a clumsy, sincere, and godawful manner.
That sincerity is nearly his undoing. Throughout the volume, Nakamura goads Kasuga about Saeki, reacting with fury when Kasuga asks Saeki to enter into a 'pure, platonic relationship' with him: how dare he pretend to be normal? Nakamura then redoubles her efforts to reveal Kasuga's 'perversion,' currying favor with Saeki while pouring poison in Kasuga's ear. But to what end? The final scene of the manga offers some interesting, and surprising, hints at Nakamura's true agenda while suggesting that Kasuga might, in fact, have more in common with her than he'd care to admit. I won't reveal what happens, but will venture to say that 'orgiastic' is an apt description of those last glorious, frenzied pages.
Review copy provided by Vertical, Inc.
THE FLOWERS OF EVIL, VOL. 2 | BY SHUZO OSHIMI | VERTICAL, INC. | 168 pp.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Manga Bestsellers: 2012, Week Ending 3 June
Comparative Rankings Based on Consolidated Online Sales
last week's charts
about the charts
##
Manga Bestsellers
1. '0 (1) : Sailor Moon 5 ' Kodansha Comics, Apr 2012 [447.2] ::
2. '0 (2) : Sailor Moon 1 ' Kodansha Comics, Sep 2011 [411.8] ::
3. '2 (5) : Sailor Moon 3 ' Kodansha Comics, Jan 2012 [402.0] ::
4. '-1 (3) : Sailor Moon 4 ' Kodansha Comics, Mar 2012 [391.0] ::
5. '-1 (4) : Naruto 56 ' Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [386.5] ::
6. '0 (6) : Sailor Moon 2 ' Kodansha Comics, Nov 2011 [358.0] ::
7. '0 (7) : Maximum Ride 1 ' Yen Press, Jan 2009 [295.8] ::
8. '2 (10) : Sailor Moon 7 ' Kodansha Comics, Sep 2012 [291.5] ::
9. '3 (12) : Sailor Moon 8 ' Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [286.5] ::
10. '1 (11) : Sailor Moon 6 ' Kodansha Comics, Jun 2012 [283.0] ::
[more]
Top Imprints
Number of volumes ranking in the Top 500:
Yen Press 82
Viz Shonen Jump 74
Tokyopop 59
Viz Shojo Beat 58
Kodansha Comics 39
Viz Shonen Jump Advanced 32
Seven Seas 21
DMP Juné 18
Dark Horse 15
HC/Tokyopop 15
[more]
Series/Property
1. '0 (1) : Sailor Moon ' Kodansha Comics [1,132.7] ::
2. '0 (2) : Naruto ' Viz Shonen Jump [840.9] ::
3. '0 (3) : Black Butler ' Yen Press [611.2] ::
4. '0 (4) : Maximum Ride ' Yen Press [606.1] ::
5. '4 (9) : Bleach ' Viz Shonen Jump [551.9] ::
6. '0 (6) : Death Note ' Viz Shonen Jump Advanced [509.8] ::
7. '0 (7) : Negima! ' Del Rey/Kodansha Comics [429.1] ::
8. '0 (8) : Highschool of the Dead ' Yen Press [424.1] ::
9. '-4 (5) : Warriors ' HC/Tokyopop [422.4] ::
10. '0 (10) : Avatar: The Last Airbender ' [multiple publishers] [393.2] ::
[more]
New Releases
(Titles releasing/released This Month & Last)
5. '-1 (4) : Naruto 56 ' Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [386.5] ::
10. '1 (11) : Sailor Moon 6 ' Kodansha Comics, Jun 2012 [283.0] ::
17. '31 (48) : Bleach 40 ' Viz Shonen Jump, Jun 2012 [250.1] ::
19. '18 (37) : Soul Eater 9 ' Yen Press, May 2012 [246.4] ::
23. '58 (81) : Black Bird 14 ' Viz Shojo Beat, May 2012 [224.8] ::
26. '6 (32) : Pandora Hearts 10 ' Yen Press, May 2012 [215.6] ::
28. '10 (38) : Ouran High School Host Club 18 ' Viz Shojo Beat, Jun 2012 [207.7] ::
30. '81 (111) : Bleach 41 ' Viz Shonen Jump, Jun 2012 [198.7] ::
34. '18 (52) : Dance in the Vampire Bund 12 ' Seven Seas, Jun 2012 [182.1] ::
35. '14 (49) : Puella Magi Madoka Magica 1 ' Yen Press, May 2012 [178.6] ::
[more]
Preorders
8. '2 (10) : Sailor Moon 7 ' Kodansha Comics, Sep 2012 [291.5] ::
9. '3 (12) : Sailor Moon 8 ' Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [286.5] ::
11. '22 (33) : Sailor Moon 9 ' Kodansha Comics, Jan 2013 [261.9] ::
13. '-4 (9) : Black Butler 9 ' Yen Press, Jul 2012 [258.4] ::
29. '24 (53) : Naruto 57 ' Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2012 [199.1] ::
39. '1 (40) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder ' DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [177.6] ::
58. '-4 (54) : Negima! 35 ' Kodansha Comics, Jul 2012 [139.7] ::
62. '74 (136) : Naruto 58 ' Viz Shonen Jump, Sep 2012 [134.3] ::
64. '-2 (62) : Only the Ring Finger Knows (novel) 5 ' DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [126.4] ::
70. '25 (95) : Velvet Kiss 1 ' Project H, Jul 2012 [113.6] ::
[more]
Manhwa
231. '138 (369) : Bride of the Water God 11 ' Dark Horse, May 2012 [52.2] ::
310. '11 (321) : Ragnarok 1 ' Tokyopop, May 2002 [39.6] ::
530. '-58 (472) : Bride of the Water God 9 ' Dark Horse, Oct 2011 [21.5] ::
575. '189 (764) : JTF-3 Counter Ops ' RealinterfaceStudios.com, Mar 2011 [19.4] ::
687. '181 (868) : Jack Frost 1 ' Yen Press, May 2009 [14.4] ::
726. '148 (874) : Toxic (anthology) 1 ' Udon, Jul 2012 [13.0] ::
793. '-249 (544) : Priest Purgatory 1 ' Tokyopop, Aug 2010 [10.5] ::
801. '-121 (680) : Bride of the Water God 10 ' Dark Horse, Jan 2012 [10.3] ::
894. '179 (1073) : Angel Diary 1 ' Yen Press, Oct 2005 [8.0] ::
1113. '149 (1262) : Jack Frost 2 ' Yen Press, Nov 2009 [4.0] ::
[more]
BL/Yaoi
39. '1 (40) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder ' DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [177.6] ::
64. '-2 (62) : Only the Ring Finger Knows (novel) 5 ' DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [126.4] ::
78. '-2 (76) : Ai no Kusabi (novel) 7 ' DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [105.5] ::
108. '196 (304) : The Tyrant Falls in Love 6 ' DMP Juné, May 2012 [84.9] ::
126. '175 (301) : Love Mode 1 ' Tokyopop Blu, Nov 2005 [79.3] ::
127. '1833 (1960) : Gravitation vols 11-12 collection ' Tokyopop, Nov 2010 [79.0] ::
134. '23 (157) : Finder Series 5 Truth in the View Finder ' DMP Juné, Dec 2011 [77.0] ::
143. '227 (370) : In These Words ' 801 Media, Jun 2012 [73.5] ::
145. '152 (297) : Silver Diamond 8 ' Tokyopop, Dec 2010 [73.3] ::
151. '23 (174) : Private Teacher 3 ' DMP Juné, May 2012 [70.4] ::
[more]
Ebooks
5. '-1 (4) : Naruto 56 ' Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [386.5] ::
7. '0 (7) : Maximum Ride 1 ' Yen Press, Jan 2009 [295.8] ::
15. '-2 (13) : Naruto 55 ' Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [253.8] ::
16. '0 (16) : Maximum Ride 5 ' Yen Press, Dec 2011 [250.6] ::
29. '24 (53) : Naruto 57 ' Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2012 [199.1] ::
33. '-8 (25) : Maximum Ride 2 ' Yen Press, Oct 2009 [190.2] ::
36. '-8 (28) : Maximum Ride 3 ' Yen Press, Aug 2010 [178.3] ::
43. '-12 (31) : Maximum Ride 4 ' Yen Press, Apr 2011 [175.8] ::
52. '6 (58) : Naruto 1 ' Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2003 [148.2] ::
53. '13 (66) : Naruto 53 ' Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2011 [148.1] ::
[more]
It Came From the Sinosphere: Cheerful Wind
About the Title
This film has quite a few titles in English. Cheerful Wind is the title used by the IMDB, yet Play While You Play is the English title on my DVD. The Mandarin title is F'nger T'tà C'i (''''') which roughly means 'The Wind Tip-Tap Steps'.
Three People
I picked this film because it brings together three of the most important people in Taiwanese pop culture: Chiung Yao, Hou Hsiao-hsien, and Fong Fei-fei.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Not By Manga Alone: Supreme and other drawings
Chicks dig comics, Sean is the world's foremost Kliban expert, and Wonder Woman was originally named Suprema. But you knew all of that already, right? Welcome back to Not By Manga Alone!
This month Sean pushes onward and upward, in his quest to read all the Kliban ever'this month he checked Two Guys Fooling Around With The Moon And Other Drawings off his list. Megan meanwhile, goes meta with The Comic Book History of Comics and Chicks Dig Comics.
Pick of the Week: Summit of the Gods & more
SEAN: Yeah, I'll go with Cheshire Cat Waltz as well. It's still more 'romance' oriented than the first series, but does at least make the effort to show that Alice is in a strange land filled with dangerous psychopaths who change moods at the drop of a hat. I hope they go a bit further into her reasons for being there ' briefly hinted in the first manga's ending ' but in the meantime, I am content to see her wandering around with the hot guys as long as it keeps up the frisson of discomfort that makes it intriguing.
Readers, what looks good to you this week?
New Sailor Moon anime; looking ahead to San Diego
San Diego Comic-Con is just around the corner, and you can expect plenty of manga action. I'm going this year, for the first time, so I'll be handing over the keys to MangaBlog to The Manga Critic, Kate Dacey, for the second half of the week. I'll have a lineup of manga-related programming later in the week, but a few things are jumping out now. One is that three editors from Japanese Shonen Jump will be guests at Viz's Shonen Jump Alpha panel on Saturday at noon. Interestingly, the Japanese Shonen Jump has a teaser website up with a countdown that ends on Saturday. Could these two things be related?
The big news broke Friday, at a video event celebrating the 20th anniversary of Sailor Moon: Kodansha and Toei will be producing a new Sailor Moon anime. We don't know too much more than that it exists, but it will be released simultaneously worldwide. Lissa Pattillo has a bit more at Kuriousity.
Lissa Pattillo has the scoop on the new licenses announced by Digital at Anime Expo.
I looked over the past week's new manga at MTV Geek, and Lissa Pattillo has her selections in her latest On the Shelf column for Otaku USA. Meanwhile, Sean Gaffney takes a peek at what to expect this week, and at Manga Bookshelf, the team discusses their Pick of the Week.
Erica Friedman has the latest edition of Yuri Network News at Okazu.
For the second year in a row, Yen Press concluded their talent search without announcing a winner. Deb Aoki talks to Yen editor JuYoun Lee about why this is, how Yen Press finds artists, and what they are really looking for.
Jason Thompson takes a look at the classic sci-fi manga Parasyte in his latest House of 1000 Manga column at ANN.
Tony Yao meditates on the true meaning of strength as expressed in Takehiko Inoue's Vagabond.
Matt Blind looks at the manga best-sellers for the weeks of May 20 and May 27.
This month's Manga Moveable Feast will focus on CLAMP, and it will be hosted at Manga Bookshelf, where Melinda Beasi posts the Call for Entries.
The Ninja Consultants present their 2012 Anime Boston con report.
Cool things you can only get in Japan at the moment: The omake from vol. 7 of Inoboku and the latest cover of Morning, featuring art from Takehiko Inoue's Vagabond.
Three Steps Over Japan takes a look at the manga magazine Young Ace.
News from Japan: The Japanese Association for Gender, Fantasy, and Science Fiction gave the top prize in its Sense of Gender Awards to Naname no Ongaku (Schräge Musik), by Dolls creator Yumiko Kawahara. Shaman King manga-ka Hiroyuki Takei is creating a one-shot manga for the September issue of Jump Square. Wataru Yoshizumi (Marmalade Boy) is has ended the series Chitose Etc., which ran in Margaret. Also coming to an end: Shigeru Tschushiyama's Gokud' Meshi, a gourmet manga in which prisoners reminisce about their most memorable meals. JManga has published the first two volumes in English.
Reviews: J. Caleb Mozzocco truly appreciates vol. 1 of Pretty Face, a manga that I have had nothing but mockery for, so go, check out his review at Every Day Is Like Wednesday. At The Hooded Utilitarian, Erica Friedman sings the praises of Sukeban Deka, which has yet to be translated into English. Melinda Beasi and Michelle Smith discuss some recent releases in their latest Off the Shelf column at Manga Bookshelf. Also at Manga Bookshelf: This week's Bookshelf Briefs.
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Attack on Titan (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Alex Hoffman on Barrage (Manga Widget)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 42 of Bleach (The Comic Book Bin)
Khursten Santos on Breathe Deeply (Otaku Champloo)
Kristin on vol. 43 of Case Closed (Comic Attack)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 20 of Claymore (The Comic Book Bin)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 1 of Cowboy Bebop (Blogcritics)
Connie on vol. 1 of Dog x Cat (Slightly Biased Manga)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 2 of Dragon Ball (omnibus edition) (Blogcritics)
Sesho on vol. 1 of Gakuen Prince (Sesho's Anime and Manga Reviews)
Connie on issue 5 of GEN (Slightly Biased Manga)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Genshiken: Second Season (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Lexie on vol. 2 of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (Poisoned Rationality)
Sesho on vol. 1 of Harukaze Bitter Bop (Sesho's Anime and Manga Reviews)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 3 of Hetalia: Axis Powers (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Sesho on vol. 22 of InuYasha (Sesho's Anime and Manga Reviews)
Kate Dacey on vol. 1 of Jiu Jiu (The Manga Critic)
Kristin on vol. 9 of Jormungand (Comic Attack)
Connie on vol. 6 of Kizuna (Slightly Biased Manga)
Anna on Knight Princess of Orelian and Serilia of Silver (Manga Report)
Sesho on vol. 28 of Naruto (Sesho's Anime and Manga Reviews)
Anna on Queen's Stairs and Love Spice (Manga Report)
Lesley Aeschliman on vols. 14 and 15 of Ranma 1/2 (Blogcritics)
Queenie Chan on Skip Beat! (Queenie Chan)
Manjiorin on vols. 1 and 2 of Slam Dunk (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Sean Kleefeld on vol. 3 of Summit of the Gods (Kleefeld on Comics)
TSOTE on Tabibito no Ke (Three Steps Over Japan)
Connie on vol. 6 of Tenjho Tenge (omnibus edition)
Erica Friedman on vol. 17 of Tsubomi (Okazu)
Lexie on vol. 1 of Until Death Do Us Part (Poisoned Rationality)
Jocelyne Allen on Yagate, Ai ni Naru (by est em) (Brain Vs. Book)
Shannon Fay on Your Story I've Known (Kuriousity)
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