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nanjya kore

A List Your Manga Should not Be On
Don't know if its just hanging out at AoD too much or there is a new cloud of negativity looming over manga lately but something got me going lately. Cancellations seem to be a recent topic across the mangasphere and there have been enough of them that I felt I had to be my usual obsessive self over this. If you are not into my occasional alarmist behavior ignore this post because the big list o' cancellations might freak you out a little... Yeah its big.

So what started this. This has actually been something that have been building up for a while. I remember a year back reading a fine piece over at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin by MangaCast heroes Wilma Jandoc and Jason S. Yadao. The article focused on the "Doomed 54". Essentially a modern day manga massacre of 54 titles all licensed by ADV which never got to see their completion. Since the publishing of that piece a few of those title have been picked up by TOKYOPOP and one actually did get finished (Maburaho #2 came out this Wednesday) but that left around 49 or so titles at manga orphanges wondering if there will ever be a chance they will ever find homes with manga readers in North America (and maybe beyond).

When I read that publishers like Dark Horse and MediaBlasters were dropping titles, I reacted the only way a fanboy could... Ranting up a storm.

Recent decisions over at Dark Horse had some parts of the mangasphere on edge. Same Hat, Same Hat's Ryan is leading a discussion over recent cancellations from the Dark Horse Horror line. Currently at least two titles have found themselves postponed indefinitely. I found this quite surprising when Viz has announced three horror titles (albeit two of them are reprints) at NYCC, citing that horror was the latest trend now.

As you might have heard MediaBlasters has also put a handful of titles on indefinite hiatus. Never fear, Frankie has confirmed that EIKEN is not going anywhere though. Which is what I heard at NYCC

Cancellations are a part of the business. They are not exclusive to this market either. Titles get canceled or are ended prematurely in Japan all the time (occasionally even those titles get licensed after the fact). What is concerning to me is that this is still happening in what is considered a mature market. Back in the 90's having titles go on hiatus was obviously frowned upon by fans, however they were known truths of a business that was still in development. The manga industry is stronger than it has ever been and there are more channels to get mange than ever before. At the same time, when I look at the titles that do get put on "hiatus" I can easily see some patterns.


(Note some CPM/BeBe titles are not listed as the publisher has put them up for solicitation again. I don't have enough info on a number of Infinity titles to tell if they were completed or not. Also publishers that are out of business are not included so ComicsOne, IronCat and Gustoon! are not on this list.)

THESE TITLES ARE ON HIATUS... Cancelled?? That is still questionable for a few of these titles. However these books do not have titles solicited currently and some have been on "break" for a long long time.

Listed by Title, Japanese publisher, vols released, vols total (approx)

ADV MANGA

50 Rules for Teenagers	Daiwon C.I.	1	8
Banzai	Akita Shoten	0	2
Blue Inferior	Kadokawa Shoten	1	4
Boss, the	???	3	33+
By the Sword	BiBLOS	2	3
Daemon Hunter	MagGarden	1	7+
Demon City Hunter	Akita Shoten	2	2
Desert Coral	MegGarden	3	5
Dream Gold	MagGarden	1	4+
Eidron Shadow	MediaWorks	0	2
Enmusu	Akita Shoten	1	6
Fantasy Land	Daiwon C.I.	1	6
First King Adventures	MagGarden	2	8+
Gadget	MagGarden	1	3+
Gadirok	Alladin	2	8+
Gamerz Heaven	MagGarden	1	4+
GATE	BiBLOS	1	3
Gunslinger Girl	MediaWorks	3	7+
Happy Lesson	MediaWorks	1	2+
Iga-zukin: The Littlest Ninja	MagGarden	0	3+
Jinki: Extend	MagGarden	3	9
Kagerou-Nostalgia	MagGarden	1	2
KI-ME-RA	BiBLOS	1	2
Kids Joker	Akita Shoten	1	6
Kyrie	Akita Shoten	0	2
Lineage	??	0	10
Louie the Rune Soldier	Fujimi Shobo	4	6
Love Blossoms	??	0	??
Lythtis	MediaWorks	0	2
More Starlight To Your Heart	MegGarden	2	7+
Mystical Prince Yoshida-kun	MagGarden	1	2
Mythical Detective LOKI RAGNAROK	MagGarden	2	5
Noodle Fighter Miki	Akita Shoten	1	17+
Notebook of a Demon Killer	Gentosha	1	6+
Pastel Green Spell	??	0	??
Pretty	??	0	??
Quantum Mistake	??	1	22+
R2	MagGarden	1	2
Ray	Akita Shoten	3	7
Ruler of the Land	Daiwon C.I.	3	37+
Saint Marie	Daiwon C.I.	2	6+
Sky Blade, Sword of Heavens	Daiwon C.I.	2	13
Special Investigation Unit	??	0	3
Steel Angel Kurumi	Fujimi Shobo	9	11
Sweet & Sensitive	Daiwon C.I.	2	14+
Tactics	MagGarden	2	7+
Tengai Retrogical	MagGarden	1	3+
Those Who Hunt Elves	MediaWorks	8	21
Vaizard	MagGarden	1	3+
Yotsuba&!	MediaWorks	3	6+
Your and My Secret	MagGarden	1	3+

MEDIABLASTERS

Apocolypse Zero	Akita Shoten	6	11
Baron Gong Battle	Akita Shoten	6	9
Kamunagara	Shounen Gahosha	6	10
Pilgrim Jager	Shounen Gahosha	3	6+
Twin Signal	Enix	1	8

BROCCOLI BOOKS

Dejiko's Adventure	Fujimi Shobo	2	3
Leave it to Piyoko	MediaWorks	1	2
Galaxy Angel Party	Broccoli	2	3

CPM PRESS

Angel Shop	Seoul Cultural	1	4
Comic Party	Ohzora Shuppan	3	9
Couple	C&C Revolution	3	4
Duck Prince	Kadokawa Shoten	3	6
Dystopia	Wani Books	0	1
Fantasy Fighters	??	1	??
Full House	Seoul Cultural	4	16
Geobreeders	Shounen Gahosha	2	11+
Hard Boiled Angel	??	3	4
Knock Your Heart Out!	Sodensha	0	2
Kung-fu Jungle Boy	??	1	2+
Kururi of the Sea	Wani Books	0	4
Masca	Seoul Cultural	1	12
Mythology of the Heavens	??	2	3+
Nambul: War Stories	??	3	6
Oath to Love and Passion	Seoul Cultural	0	5
Otogi Matsuri	Wani Books	0	7+
Pale Pink	???	0	1+
Prince Standard	Wani Books	0	7+
Princess	???	0	2
Rockstar's Tale, a	??	0	1+
Script Downers	Wani Books	0	2+
Slayers Return	Fujimi Shobo	0	1
Slayers: City of Lost Souls	Fujimi Shobo	0	1
Slayers	Fujimi Shobo	6	8
Snow	??	0	1+
Sweet Cream & Strawberries	Sodendsha	0	1
Sword of Shibito, the	Gentosha	2	8
Zzim!	??	1	3
Treasure Hunter	Akita Shoten	2	3
Warrior's Song	??	0	17
Weather Woman	Kodansha	1	8
Wedding Eve	Ohzora Shuppan	0	1
World of Narue	Kadokawa Shoten	4	8+
Yongbi the Invincible	??	3	4

DARK HORSE

3 X 3 Eyes	Kodansha	8	40
Cannon God eXaXXion	Kodansha	5	7
Chronowar	Kodansha	0	2
Museum of Terror	Asahi Sonorama	3	10
Octopus Girl	LEED	3	4
Seraphic Feather	Kodansha	6	9+
Shadow Star	Kodansha	7	12
Club 9	Kodansha	4	5
You're Under Arrest	Kodansha	2	7
Legend of Mother Sarah	Kodansha	1	7

DMP BOOKS

Bambi and Her Pink Gun	enterbrain!	2	6
Gloom Party	Akita Shoten	1	5
Is He Turning Japanese?	MediaFactory	0	3
robot	Wani Magazine	3	7+
Worst	Akita Shoten	3	16+

DrMASTER

888	Gentosha	1	2+
Crayon Shin-chan	Futabasha	10	36+
Dark Edge	MediaWorks	6	15
Indian Summer	MediaWorks	1	2+
My Sassy Girl	Blacktan	4	8

INFINITY STUDIOS

Adrenalin	??	0	4
Animal Paradise	??	1	3
Fighting!! Guidance	Haksan Munhwasa	1	2+
Hurrah! Sailor	MediaWorks	1	2
Nananana	MediaWorks	1	4
Popo Can	MediaWorks	1	3+
Traveler of the Moon, the	Sigongsa	1	3
Zippy Ziggy	Daiwon CI	1	3+

VIZ MEDIA

Area 88	Shgakukan	3	23
Bio-booster Armor Guyver	Kadokawa Shoten	7	24+
Black Jack	Akita Shoten	2	20
Eat-Man	MediaWorks	2	19
Legend of Kamui	Shogakukan	2	21
Mobile Police PatLabor	Shogakuakn	2	22
Gundam: the Origin	Kadokawa Shoten	12	14
Orochi	Shogakukan	1	3
Ogre Slayer	Shogakukan	2	20
Pineapple Army	Shogakukan	1	8
Tough	Shueisha	6	42
Urusei Yatsura	Shogakukan	9	34

As you can see, there are a few clear trends here. Surprising, even though I can say that many of the books that fall under these categories should be considered quality the following reasons might explain why they cannot sell in North America.

Manhwa: I have talked to a few NA pubs that release manhwa over the last year and one theme I got from a few of them is how ADV's manhwa escapades in 2004 basically ruined the industry. Because so much of it failed instantly due to poor marketing and bad planning, trust was lost and manhwa became a little harder to license. Then all that manhwa also turned into a glut on shelves. Manhwa for a while was a big part of the manga bubble burst of a few years back.

Now manhwa has not gone away. Actually there are more manhwa pubs than ever before. However, the titles that are being brought over tend to be more in tune with publishers identities than ever before. DH manhwa is action packed and mature. DQ manhwa is stylish, quirky and almost experimental. Sigongsa titles will come from ICE Kunion. NETCOMICS has a more sophisticated approach to their titles; while TP's titles are very modern and good looking. These books are coming out at a more controlled rate now, allowing for some of the artists and the properties to establish themselves to an unfamiliar market.

There is no doubt in my mind that most of the manhwa titles available now are more likely to perform better in this market. However, some of those canceled titles were not too shabby. As North American readers have had around 20 years to read manga, manhwa has only been around for around 5. The artists are not established here yet and you definitely don't see anime properties of these titles on cable. So even if My Sassy Girl was a hit in indie houses and film festivals worldwide, that did not translate to sales in a volitile industry a few years back.

Mature Titles: I find it ironic that most of the mangablogs on my radar tend to favor titles for an audience older than say Shonen Jump's. Sure everyone has read an SJ title before. A manga fan cannot earn their MangaSphere passport without doing so. Meanwhile, there is so much more manga out there that is not getting the attention it deserves. It wasn't that long ago when most manga was marketed to older readers. The Pokemons and Sailor Moons changed that and with the Narutos that market seems to have turned into what the old guard of superhero comics is now. We are vocal, knowledgeable and willing to spend the money... But our numbers a not growing as fast as the rest of the market.

I really think there are more seinen readers now than before. At the same time when shelves at Borders are packed with titles for teens then those great DH titles, the gems from TP and Viz's Signature titles don't stand out. Shelf space is in prime demand, but where should BERSERK be stacked. Would it be better served in the graphic novel stacks with Marvel Comics and Strangers in Paradise? Should there be a seinen section in the manga stacks. Maybe add an all ages section as well for the parents out there.

Maybe Del Rey has a point with the larger trim size. Those books sure stand out at Borders... Because sometimes they have to go on the top shelf or on their own racks since they don't fit on shelves with the digest sized books. I know that the lack of literature and knowledge of these titles have created problems at some specialty stores and comic shops also. In my neighborhood, the local Kinokuniya has a large translated manga section and the staff is knowledgeable about artists but even they at one point shelved all of the DMP Books in their Boys Love section. (So Enchanter was next to Clan of the Nakagamis). Same was the case for all of Go!Comi's books. Once they saw Higuri You someone decided to put all of their books with the BL. Comics Relief in Berkeley has a huge manga section and an even larger graphic novel section. Adult titles go to the adult section - BL and eromanga. Non-fiction and alternative manga goes into the non-fiction and alternative stacks respectively. So Warren Buffet and Buddha are placed with Persepolis; while ROBOT is stacked with other weird books. Almost new manga is stacked together in their own new manga shelf for around two weeks before they get sorted. Interesting idea that combines concepts used in bookstores with the familiarity of their comic shop readership.

Clearly shelving isn't the only problem. Like with manhwa readers are not as familiar with these artists. Oh!Great's might be a seinen artist but he does shounen and his properties have been animated. Koike has a following here, but his manga has been released in the States for at least 15 years now. Is the only way to sell seinen manga through movie tie-ins like Parasyte or Bug Master? Like Ryan from SH,SH asks isn't the larger market bringing in enough readers for these books? There has to be an audience for Museum of Terror and 3X3 Eyes. How can we have OMG! without You're Under Arrest? Maybe PopoCan and 888 were too random and Indian Summers' lolita possibly was too much for this market but Gunslinger Girl failed? Yeah, Phoenix can be looked at for the third time but BlackJack is not getting a re-try? PatLabor is getting a re-release of its movie franchise and that wonderful series has not been given a chance? (I will say the length of that last title might be risky... Though I would love to see that replace Firefighter when Daigo retires this fall.) If great works are not selling then what will? Publishers can't commit to properties that don't sell; it is not logical to expect that even if they have the backing of Japanese publishers or major western publishers.

Fantasy: Dallas Middaugh had it right when he said manga is like TV. Manga can be any genre imaginable. Manga magazines in Japan are like different TV channels - ShoComi, Ribbon and Nakayhoshi are the girls channels. Albatross View is the Golf Channel. Office You is the OL channel. The salaryman channels come from Big Comic, Business Jump and a number of Futabasha magazines. There are BL channels, mahjong channels and there are even lolicon channels that would be blocked out by most TVs in the west.

Fantasy could be found in the pages of many magazines. Some of the most popular came from Dragon Jr and they now come from Dragon Age. Sadly many of the titles that come over from these magazines (Monthly Gao! was another source for this genre) just don't take off out here. Ironically, many of these titles also have anime backings and fantasy RPG games are also very popular in the west. There are exceptions of course, but I can't help shed man-tears when I see titles like Eat-Man and Louie struggle. I want the Fantasy Channel but I can apparently only get it on demand...

I want to admit I did sensationalize this a bit. Sorry for blowing this out of proportion. Looking at that list one could say there is enough manga on that list to make a real strong catalog for a pub. Actually a few of these titles have been picked up. Truth is that the number of indefinite delays dropped significantly in 2006. The majority of them are now coming from a couple publishers and the bigger publishers like Del Rey and TOKYOPOP never have these problems (and the last title Viz canned was TOUGH early last year). Publishers know you readers better than ever. So most of the licenses you see, even from smaller pubs, are finding readers. This business still needs more education and more eyes to make the Pilgrim Jagers and Octopus Girls thrive.

The MangaSphere is in the business of manga education. Checkout sites like Same Hat, Same Hat, Completely Futile, Robots Never Sleep for manga randomness. These guys review the unlicensed manga that I would review if I didn't have to hide those books from my non-otaku GF. Meanwhile, Manga Junkie looks at the unlicensed stuff I say I buy for my GF, but read alone on the train ride from Kinokuniya. Regular feature at Shaenon Garrity's LJ is the Overlooked Manga Festival gives readers a look at the titles that are either on the list or are flirting with the list. Slightly Biased Manga might look like another shoujo site, but look closely and you will find reviews of Bride of Diemos, Lie to Me and Four Shojo Stories... Yeah the legendary shoujo fringe. Same can be said about the mangamaniacafe. Any site that has reviews for major list contributors Infinity Studios and MediaBlasters deserves some respect.

Check these sites out. Study them. Go hunt down copies of MangaVision, SuperMangaBlast and PULP. Share all that information with your friends and family and come back next year when I go through process again... There will be a test and those taking it will be Reiko the Zombie-shop, Rojie and Muhyo and the Boogiepop Novels.