Manga

Manga First Impressions 3: Land of the Blindfolded, I.O.N., Sand Chronicles

Manga First Impressions 3: Land of the Blindfolded, I.O.N., Sand Chronicles

Dear Readers, Two more vol 1′s from Viz. But the first is a Vol 1 from CMX, another publisher who brings quality shoujo to the US. Land of the Blindfolded by Tsukuba Sakura. CMX. Retail $9.99. Not rated, but I’d say high school and up. 9 volumes (complete in Japan and in the US.) (I(…)

Manga First Impressions 2: B.O.D.Y, Monkey High, Haruka

Manga First Impressions 2: B.O.D.Y, Monkey High, Haruka

Dear Readers, Here are some more first volumes of shoujo series coming out: B.O.D.Y. by Ao Mimori. Viz. Retail $9.99. T+ for older teen (kisses, sexual innuendo). 12 volumes (ongoing in Japan, just starting here this month) I’d never heard of this title but I was taken with it from the first page. The drawing(…)

Manga First Impressions: Wild Ones and Fairy Cube

Manga First Impressions: Wild Ones and Fairy Cube

Dear Readers, I got some first volumes of some shoujo series from Viz for review. I’ve not read any of the series, so I’ll just be providing my first impressions based upon all the Vol 1′s, a couple at a time. Wild Ones by Kiyo Fujiwara. Viz. $9.99. T for Teen (innuendo, some cartoony violence).(…)

Harlequin to Distribute Manga Via Cellphones in Japan

By now, you must have read how Japanese consumers are reading more and more on their cellphones. Harlequin is the grey old lady of romance no more. Harlequin is teaming up with Softbank Creative to sell and distribute its romance manga via cellphone in Japan. Beginning in April 2008 SoftBank will distribute digital versions of(…)

REVIEW: Manga: Romance with a Capital “R”: From Far Away by Kyoko Hikawa

REVIEW: Manga: Romance with a Capital “R”: From Far Away by Kyoko Hikawa

From Far Away by Kyoko Hikawa. Publisher: Viz. Retail: $9.99 each. 14/14 volumes released in English. Rated T for Teen (some fighting, no sex). Dear Readers, I’m starting to feel a little like Harriet Klausner, with all the positive manga reviews I’ve been doing. But everyone knows there’s a lot of mediocre manga out there.(…)

REVIEW: Manga: Sex Education: Manga Sutra by Katsu Aki

REVIEW: Manga: Sex Education: Manga Sutra by Katsu Aki

  Manga Sutra by Katsu Aki. Published by TokyoPop. Retail: $19.99. 1/37+ released in English. Rated M for Mature (graphic sex). Note: Each single English volume contains 2 Japanese volumes. Dear Readers, This one is slightly different for me. Some people might just call it hentai (Japanese porn). But while it does contain scenes that(…)

REVIEW: Manga: Sorcerers, Demons, and Smut, Oh My:  The Crimson Spell by Ayano Yamane

REVIEW: Manga: Sorcerers, Demons, and Smut, Oh My: The Crimson Spell by Ayano Yamane

The Crimson Spell by Ayano Yamane. Published by Kitty Media. Retail: $11.99. 1/2+ volumes. Rated: Mature (this title is adult-only, sexually graphic yaoi (MxM).) Dear Readers, This is my favorite manga release of 2007. There are some with loftier ambitions that I might admire more, like Town of Evening Calm, but when it comes to(…)

REVIEW:  Manga Review: Epic Adventure and Romance: Basara

REVIEW: Manga Review: Epic Adventure and Romance: Basara

Basara by Yumi Tamura. Published by Viz. Retail: $9.99. Rated T+ for older teens (frank sex and violence. The sex isn’t graphic but the violence can be.) 25/27 volumes published, complete in Japan. Dear Readers, Some long running romance manga series are drawing to a close this month, and all deserve mention here.This column is(…)

REVIEW:  Sorcerers and Secretaries by Amy Kim Ganter

REVIEW: Sorcerers and Secretaries by Amy Kim Ganter

Dear Ms. Ganter, My blogging partner Jan reviewed this series earlier and I was so impressed by the review and by the artwork she included that I posted to her review. She graciously offered to loan me the volumes of “Sorcerers and Secretaries.” I’ll be honest and say that I’d never tried any manga and(…)

Manga Review: Romance for Boys: Ai Yori Aoshi

Manga Review: Romance for Boys: Ai Yori Aoshi

Ai Yori Aoshi by Kou Fumizuki. Published by TokyoPop. Retail: $9.99. Ratings: T+, older teens, for most volumes (many sexually suggestive situations a.k.a. fan service – the cover gives you a taste for that), Mature for the last volume (tasteful sex between the h/h). 17/17 volumes published. Dear Readers, Two long running romance series have(…)

Diana Gabaldon to Write Outlander Story to Be Turned into Manga

Diana Gabaldon will write an “original story” to be set in the world of the Outlander series including favorite characters such as Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser. The illustrator is Hoang Nguyen and will be 192 pages in length. The publication date is 2009. Gabaldon apparently wrote several comic book scripts for Walt Disney in(…)

Manga/Anime Review: A Great Present for Kids of all Ages: Princess Tutu

Manga/Anime Review: A Great Present for Kids of all Ages: Princess Tutu

Princess Tutu created by Ikuko Ito and Junichi Sato. Released in English by ADV. Entire 26 episode series available at Amazon for $28.49. Manga adaptation available but really, don’t go there. Dear Readers, I’m cheating today. This blog is for book reviews, things you read. And so I’m going to review an absolutely terrible manga(…)

Manga’s 2007 Sales Are Up. So Is It or Is It Not Dead?

In the fall of 2007, USA Today had an article declaring that Manga was dying. Despite that Tor has signed a joint venture with Seven seas Entertainment to produce and distribute original manga titles and compete for the licenses of top Japanese Manga. Total sales for Manga is up by 10% to “more than $220(…)

REVIEW:  [Manga] Writers and Romance: Sorcerers and Secretaries by Amy Kim Ganter

REVIEW: [Manga] Writers and Romance: Sorcerers and Secretaries by Amy Kim Ganter

Sorcerers and Secretaries by Amy Kim Ganter. Tokyopop. $9.99. Ages 13 and up (kisses). Reads left to right. 2 volumes, complete.   Dear Ms. Ganter, I don’t try much Original English Language (OEL) manga or American graphic novels, because the stories don’t normally appeal to me, and one big reason is that they’re often written(…)

Review Manga the Complete Guide

Looking for the review of Manga the Complete Guide? We’ve done some housecleaning and that link will be found here. Send to Kindle