For the purpose of this post, I’m using a highly idiosyncratic definition of “best”, based mostly on what I looked forward to and enjoyed re-reading. And if some sources can publish “Best of 2008” lists in early November, I figure as long as mine’s out by the end of January, I’m good. I have a few subcategories, under which I’ve ranked a maximum of five titles, with #1 being best. Links take you to my reviews. Best Completed Manga These […]

Got a note today from a manga publisher that I won’t name saying that due to company cutbacks, they would no longer be able to send review copies. That notice is unusual but appreciated. I know times are tight, and I sympathize. I would rather know what’s going on (instead of wondering if someone immaturely took offense at something I said, for example). However, the part I found especially strange was the suggestion that if I was willing to pay […]

I wasn’t crazy about the OEL manga/GN series Off*Beat, but I thought it had promise, and I really liked the characters. When I looked at what was going on with Tokyopop’s OEL manga titles at the end of June, no one knew what its future was. Now, the author has spoken: all i can say still at this moment is that i have expressed deep concern to my former editor that i wanted a means to finish the story and […]

Heidi has a list of announced Tokyopop cancellations. The two I’m most concerned with are Kat & Mouse 4 and the next Kindaichi Case Files: The Burial Francs. One of the commenters points out that Kindaichi is a Kodansha title, so with their US branch opening, maybe there’s hope yet to see more translated into English. Kat & Mouse, though, we’ve probably seen the last of, even though book 3 ended with a cliffhanger and I don’t recall if the […]

Currently, Del Rey Manga is mostly titles licensed from Japanese manga publisher Kodansha. Now, as Brigid reports, Kodansha plans to open their own American office. Many questions result. Del Rey isn’t concerned — their licenses are proceeding as planned. Chris Butcher reports that Tokyopop cancelled Beck, a Kodansha title, but that might also be due to lower sales or Tokyopop’s own problems. The most interesting aspect of this for me so far is the speculation on what this might mean […]

ADV Insists It’s Not an Ex-Publisher At the end of May, there was some discussion as to whether ADV Manga still existed. Now, Brigid talks to Chris Oarr (link no longer available), and the answer comes back “we’re still selling books, but we’re not doing anything new (including the much-in-demand Yotsuba&! 6) and we’re not reprinting.” Does that really count as still alive? That’s just selling off the backstock. Of course, they have to say “no, no, we’re a going […]

(This article was originally published in PiQ #3, June 2008.) Josei manga, or in Japanese, “ladies’ comics”, are titles aimed at women between 18-30 years of age. They usually deal with the same romantic subjects as girl-targeted shojo, but with more realism and mature content, including sex scenes. In addition to questions about finding Mr. Right (or Mr. Right Now), the female leads may deal with workplace issues, including harassment or finding the right job. Visually, the books tend to […]

Steven Grant has a must-read column looking at the status of publishers who’ve recently suffered public problems. He makes excellent points, based on his long experience in the business, but I’m most interested in talking about what he says about Tokyopop. He starts by noting: Borders has pulled Tokyopop titles from their shelves due to slipping sales. It would seem something else went on behind the scenes there, as usually booksellers only pull titles that don’t sell, not a publisher’s […]