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Back in the Bay Area and I have around 10 hours of audio to splice... GAH!!!
Before I head into the "studio" let me give you part two of the new title round up... Oh and I'll do the 801/June books tomorrow. 20 BL titles have to be processed with care you know.
More from Suzuki Yasushi! There wasn't a large crowd at the Suzuki panel on Sunday but the few dozen that were there did get to see a number of slides featuring some of the most stunning art this side of Amano (Yes David even better than naked ape... And maybe as good as Inoue, Jarred). This latest from Suzuki is actually a web manga Suzuki made as a short some time ago. The story will be fleshed out and released as a one-shot next year.
Their second title is impressive in a different way. Metro Survive is the type of manga that Dark Horse should be releasing. A very cool seinen action drama about Japan after a major earthquake devastates the nation. Released in Akita Shoten's version of IKKI, Play Magazine, this title has some sexy art and a short tight story that could bring in new readers to DrMaster. I really hope they market this right, because this title would appeal to the small number of sophisticated manga readers out there. You know the 10 people read Old Boy, MONSTER, EDEN, Phoenix and Hard Boiled Angel... Luckily this title is only two vols long.
The LDP only had a crowd of 40 or so at the TP panel on Monday. Apparently the panel wasn't listed on some schedules but we had it on ours since mid-June... Even with a small audience and after their PR department confirmed 38 new titles a few weeks back, as you can see Lillian still had new stuff to share. Seriously how deep is TP's bag of licenses??
Juuousei was a last-minute announcement that was released because of the recent anime license. The seinen title that is huge with the fujoshi might even get its schedule pushed up to coincide with the DVD release. Another Mizuki Hakase title was licensed. Asian Beat has a yanki style cover and has me seriously considering this "josei" one-shot. Oh and the LDP also noted that Mizuki Hakase's Demon Ororon will have a ultimate collection reprint. Ride the Shojo Omnibus baby!!
On the Global, OEL, Manga Ai tip, TP will be releasing Undertown by Jim Pascoe, We Shadows by Sonny Straight, Dark Moon Diary by Che Olson</b> and Harper Collins' Vampire Kisses with art from REM.
TP's manga revolution has taken them to Japan, Canada, Korea, Germany and other places in between. Now it will land in Taiwan with a title from Jo Chen the Other Side of the Mirror.
Additional news has INVU continuing past volume 4. The series is now published by a new company in Korea. And TP has confirmed that Shin Pet Shop of Horrors is delayed... What? Why? Well don't forget that Asahi Sonorama folded a few weeks back. So the license needs to be negotiated again. (See TP knows the deal...)
MediaBlasters have confirmed a title I was curious about Seiryou Returns. I am pretty sure they will pick up the option on the third volume of that trilogy sometime soon.
Ummm, does Dark Horse realize they just went into the BL market?! Manly Manga for Manly Men has a new meaning now. Seriously Gombos, either you are a genius or clueless but either way BLOOD+ was going to do well and now it will definitely do better than EDEN.
Speaking of which... GANTZ has made a number of fanboys very happy over the weekend. I honestly would love to know how many though. GANTZ is a hyper-violence title that will definitely be 18+ and shrinkwrapped that will cater to a part of the market that I am not sure really has any strength or cohesiveness (the seinen market). On top of that this is a 21+ volume series which undoubtedly means sales will not be great by the time we get to the halfway mark. Personally GANTZ isn't my cup of tea in the first place. Character designs are not very clean and I am not a fan of the costume or mechanical designs either. The game is quite exhilarating but honestly I don't see the overall appeal. This is going to be a niche manga, even if DH doesn't see it that way, mainly because its content limits its market reach to a small part of the market that struggles to sustain titles of any sort. (HELLSING being a rare exception but that title has crossover appeal)
SiJones beat me in the guess where Vulgar Ghost is going office pool. I thought CMX (just because they have had a number of Kadokawa shounen lately) but Simon said DH and honestly considering the style... Yeah, its DH all the way. The type of title they are going for is still quality but I can see a funny pattern developing and this one is based on aesthetics not narrative (can you figure it out... hmmm).
I am totally offended by the latest Koike license! Why? Well I think either Simon, Gombos or Horn decided to pick this one up to spite me. Last year at SDCC I asked Koike about his golf manga and the possibility of those coming over. The man clammed up and rejected the notion. Well, DH did the next best thing by licensing a manga from Koike's personal golf artist Kanou Seisaku!! Oh you freaks!! Just license a golf title already. Pick up a short one or something but this is going too far.
New titles from many of Go! Comi's launch artists. David Wise personally came up to me to tease me about my grammar... and more shounen. More shounen is always a good thing, even if it this might be a harem manga (more love for the MangaCast's Jack I guess). All in all G!C's library is filling out nicely and they keep to test out the more mature areas of shoujo with most of their new acquisitions. If I ever see a pub go on a limb and bring out the Teen Love genre, I would think G!C would be the first.
DH has BL and now so does Seven Seas. Dance in the VampireBund is recommended by ComiPress, so that means I should be checking that one out.
The two light novel pick ups are extremely intriguing. Here is why. 7S has built up a nice novel catalog over the last year plus, with some name brands in their as well. Will that mean future manga licenses of Shinigami Ballad, Zero Tsukaima, Gun Princess..? Licensing is a funny deal but these novel licenses ought to get their foot in the door with licensors and with fans out there.
Yuri!! With Strawberry launching at AX we should soon see what the market is like for Yuri in the States. The potential is there for Strawberry. If it can capture the ladies it should do fine; if it can also get the stupid fan boys then it will be a big success. I got to pick up the Last Uniform over the weekend. Too cute for words. Kinda in that ToriKoro vein but with romance instead of comedy at the core.
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Before I head into the "studio" let me give you part two of the new title round up... Oh and I'll do the 801/June books tomorrow. 20 BL titles have to be processed with care you know.
DrMaster
 メトロ・サヴァイブ by: 藤澤勇希 Metro Survive by: Fujisawa Yuuki Akita Shoten/Play Comics 2 vols/seinen |  Phantom the Comic by: 鈴木康士 Phantom by: Suzuki Yasushi doujinshi/online 1 vols/seinen |
More from Suzuki Yasushi! There wasn't a large crowd at the Suzuki panel on Sunday but the few dozen that were there did get to see a number of slides featuring some of the most stunning art this side of Amano (Yes David even better than naked ape... And maybe as good as Inoue, Jarred). This latest from Suzuki is actually a web manga Suzuki made as a short some time ago. The story will be fleshed out and released as a one-shot next year.
Their second title is impressive in a different way. Metro Survive is the type of manga that Dark Horse should be releasing. A very cool seinen action drama about Japan after a major earthquake devastates the nation. Released in Akita Shoten's version of IKKI, Play Magazine, this title has some sexy art and a short tight story that could bring in new readers to DrMaster. I really hope they market this right, because this title would appeal to the small number of sophisticated manga readers out there. You know the 10 people read Old Boy, MONSTER, EDEN, Phoenix and Hard Boiled Angel... Luckily this title is only two vols long.
TOKYOPOP
 アジアンビート by: 水月博士 Asian Beat by: Mizuki Hakase Shinshokan/Wings Comics 1 vols/Josei |
 獣王星 by： 樹なつみ Juuousei by: Itsuki Natsumi Hakusensha/Jets Comics 5 vols/seinen |
 鏡子的另一邊 by: 咎井淳 Other Side of the Mirror by: Jo Chen Tong Li Comics 2 vols/josei |
 ．ｈａｃｋ／／ＸＸＸＸ by: 松山洋 .hack//XXXX by: Matsuyama You Kadokawa/Comics Ace 2 vols/shounen |
The LDP only had a crowd of 40 or so at the TP panel on Monday. Apparently the panel wasn't listed on some schedules but we had it on ours since mid-June... Even with a small audience and after their PR department confirmed 38 new titles a few weeks back, as you can see Lillian still had new stuff to share. Seriously how deep is TP's bag of licenses??
Juuousei was a last-minute announcement that was released because of the recent anime license. The seinen title that is huge with the fujoshi might even get its schedule pushed up to coincide with the DVD release. Another Mizuki Hakase title was licensed. Asian Beat has a yanki style cover and has me seriously considering this "josei" one-shot. Oh and the LDP also noted that Mizuki Hakase's Demon Ororon will have a ultimate collection reprint. Ride the Shojo Omnibus baby!!
On the Global, OEL, Manga Ai tip, TP will be releasing Undertown by Jim Pascoe, We Shadows by Sonny Straight, Dark Moon Diary by Che Olson</b> and Harper Collins' Vampire Kisses with art from REM.
TP's manga revolution has taken them to Japan, Canada, Korea, Germany and other places in between. Now it will land in Taiwan with a title from Jo Chen the Other Side of the Mirror.
Additional news has INVU continuing past volume 4. The series is now published by a new company in Korea. And TP has confirmed that Shin Pet Shop of Horrors is delayed... What? Why? Well don't forget that Asahi Sonorama folded a few weeks back. So the license needs to be negotiated again. (See TP knows the deal...)
BoyBoy by Kitty
 |
星陵最恐物語リターンズ by: 龍川 和ト Scandalous Seiryou Univ 2 by: Tatsugawa Kazuto Libre/Super BeBoy Comics 1 vol/BL |
MediaBlasters have confirmed a title I was curious about Seiryou Returns. I am pretty sure they will pick up the option on the third volume of that trilogy sometime soon.
Dark Horse
 ＢＬＯＯＤ＋ by: 桂明日香 BLOOD+ by: Katsura Asuka Kadokawa/Comic Ace 5+/shounen |  ＢＬＯＯＤ＋Ａ by: スエカネクミコ BLOOD+ A by: Suekane Kumiko Kadokawa/Beans Ace 2 vol/seinen |
 低俗霊ＤＡＹＤＲＥＡＭ by: 奥瀬サキ Ghost Talkers DAYDREAM by: Okuse Saki Kadokawa/Comic Ace 9 vols/shounen |
 ＢＬＯＯＤ＋夜行城市 by: 如月弘鷹 BLOOD+ Yakou Joshi by: Kisaragi Hirotaka Kadokawa/Ciel 1 vol/BL |  GANTZ by: 奥 浩哉 GANTZ by: Oku Hiroya Shueisha/Young Jump 21+ vols/seinen |
 からぁ怒 by:小池一夫 & 叶 精作 Color of Rage by: Koike Kazuo/Kanou Seisaku Koike Shoin/King Series 1 vol/seinen |
 ロシアン・ローズ by: 漲月かりの BLOOD+ Russian Rose by: Karino Kadokawa/Beans Bunko 2 vols/novel |  ＢＬＯＯＤ＋ by: 池端亮 BLOOD+ by: Ike Ryo Kadokawa/Sneaker Bunko 4 vols/novel |
 風の名はアムネジア by：菊池秀行 Wind Named Amnesia by: Kikuchi Hideyuki Asahi/Sonorama Bunko 1 vol/novel |
Ummm, does Dark Horse realize they just went into the BL market?! Manly Manga for Manly Men has a new meaning now. Seriously Gombos, either you are a genius or clueless but either way BLOOD+ was going to do well and now it will definitely do better than EDEN.
Speaking of which... GANTZ has made a number of fanboys very happy over the weekend. I honestly would love to know how many though. GANTZ is a hyper-violence title that will definitely be 18+ and shrinkwrapped that will cater to a part of the market that I am not sure really has any strength or cohesiveness (the seinen market). On top of that this is a 21+ volume series which undoubtedly means sales will not be great by the time we get to the halfway mark. Personally GANTZ isn't my cup of tea in the first place. Character designs are not very clean and I am not a fan of the costume or mechanical designs either. The game is quite exhilarating but honestly I don't see the overall appeal. This is going to be a niche manga, even if DH doesn't see it that way, mainly because its content limits its market reach to a small part of the market that struggles to sustain titles of any sort. (HELLSING being a rare exception but that title has crossover appeal)
SiJones beat me in the guess where Vulgar Ghost is going office pool. I thought CMX (just because they have had a number of Kadokawa shounen lately) but Simon said DH and honestly considering the style... Yeah, its DH all the way. The type of title they are going for is still quality but I can see a funny pattern developing and this one is based on aesthetics not narrative (can you figure it out... hmmm).
I am totally offended by the latest Koike license! Why? Well I think either Simon, Gombos or Horn decided to pick this one up to spite me. Last year at SDCC I asked Koike about his golf manga and the possibility of those coming over. The man clammed up and rejected the notion. Well, DH did the next best thing by licensing a manga from Koike's personal golf artist Kanou Seisaku!! Oh you freaks!! Just license a golf title already. Pick up a short one or something but this is going too far.
Go! Comi
 神様家族 by: たぱり Kamisama Kazoku by: Tapari Media Factory/MF Comics 3 vols/seinen |
 賢者は眠る by: 竹内 未来 Wise Man Sleeps by: Takeuchi Mick Akita Shoten/Princess Comics 2 vols/shoujo |
 天使の柩 by: 氷栗優 Angel's Coffin by: Higuri Yuu Akita Shoten/Princess Comics 1 vol/shoujo |
 電脳ビリーバーズ by: 海月 志穂子 CY-Believers by: Mizuki Shioko Akita Shoten/Princess Comics 3+ vols/shoujo |
New titles from many of Go! Comi's launch artists. David Wise personally came up to me to tease me about my grammar... and more shounen. More shounen is always a good thing, even if it this might be a harem manga (more love for the MangaCast's Jack I guess). All in all G!C's library is filling out nicely and they keep to test out the more mature areas of shoujo with most of their new acquisitions. If I ever see a pub go on a limb and bring out the Teen Love genre, I would think G!C would be the first.
Seven Seas
 神様の腕の中 by: ねこ田 米蔵 In God's Arms by: Nekoda Yonezo BiBLOS/BeBoy Comics 3 vols/BL |
 ダンス イン ザ ヴァンパイアバンド by: 環 望 Dance in the VampireBund by: Tamaki Nozomu Media Factory/MF Comics 3 vols/seinen |
 ゼロの使い魔 by: ヤマグチノボル Zero no Tsukaima by: Yamaguchi Noboru Media Factory/Bunko J 11+ vols/novel |
 陰からマモル！ by: 阿智太郎 Kage kara Mamoru by: Achi Tarou Media Factory/Bunko J 9+ vols/novels |
DH has BL and now so does Seven Seas. Dance in the VampireBund is recommended by ComiPress, so that means I should be checking that one out.
The two light novel pick ups are extremely intriguing. Here is why. 7S has built up a nice novel catalog over the last year plus, with some name brands in their as well. Will that mean future manga licenses of Shinigami Ballad, Zero Tsukaima, Gun Princess..? Licensing is a funny deal but these novel licenses ought to get their foot in the door with licensors and with fans out there.
Strawberry
 ｖｏｉｃｅｆｕｌ by: ナヲコ voiceful by: Nawoko Ichijinsha/YuriHime Comics 1 vol/yuri |
 初恋姉妹 by: 東雲 水生 First Love Sisters by: Shinonome Mizuo Ichijinsha/YuriHime Comics 2+ vols/yuri |
Yuri!! With Strawberry launching at AX we should soon see what the market is like for Yuri in the States. The potential is there for Strawberry. If it can capture the ladies it should do fine; if it can also get the stupid fan boys then it will be a big success. I got to pick up the Last Uniform over the weekend. Too cute for words. Kinda in that ToriKoro vein but with romance instead of comedy at the core.
Thank dog for Ryan Sands of the Same Hat2 blog. The young man basically did all the manga relate leg work necessary for BEA. And he was also very kind to share with me the info when it was going down at the big NY event. Sadly for you all there is a blogger's code of honor, so I made a blood pact not to scoop the Hatter but now that he has disclosed his trade secrets now I can share some covers with you all!!
Okay okay, D&Q has not released which collection from Tatsumi-sensei will be coming next year. But my money is on Nagai, Nagai Natsu (Long, Long Summer). Like the other collections the title will likely change but this is the only collection from 71 I know of. If anyone can find another please send it in.
Continuing with the gekiga tip, Tatsumi's autobiography is now in its final stages. The massive 800pg book is at around 760 right now and appears to be set for release after Hayashi Seiichi's Red Color Eulogy is released. Ahh old skool manga... Mucho love. And 1971 Garo from D&Q at that. The drooling begins!!
After DH and Dark Horse tried their luck with Hino-sensei, Japanese ame-indi-comi pub Presspop Gallery and Last Gasp collaborate to bring back the king of Japanese horror in a full color book featuring three never before seen stories. Blood colored Hino horror in a hardcover for $29.99... Scary!
I was able to twist Vertical's arm for a review copy of Apollo's Song so that review should be coming soon.
In licensing news, Vertical confirmed which of the three Guin Saga manga they will be releasing this November. They have tapped the three volume MediaFactory version which focuses on the Seven Magi arc. Vertical editor Kerim Yasar wanted me to let all you prose readers know that they will also be releasing softcover versions of Kurimoto Kaoru's novel series.
Apparently Kurimoto-sensei gets ideas for her 100+ volume series while she does chores around her home... Did she just happen to see someone with a leopards head on TV or something? How did she come up with that while doing laundry? Oh and send Kurimoto-sensei some love by buying her books. Vertical wants to release volumes #4 & 5 but it all depends on sales of the manga and softcovers... You have your orders, soldier. Pre-order NOW!
Drawn & Quarterly
 ??? by: 辰巳 ヨシヒロ ??? collection from 1971 by: Tatsumi Yoshihiro Napoleon Books 1 vols/gekiga |  赤色エレジー by: 林静一 Red Colored Elegy by: Hayashi Seiichi GARO Comics/Seirindou 2 vols/alternative |
Okay okay, D&Q has not released which collection from Tatsumi-sensei will be coming next year. But my money is on Nagai, Nagai Natsu (Long, Long Summer). Like the other collections the title will likely change but this is the only collection from 71 I know of. If anyone can find another please send it in.
Continuing with the gekiga tip, Tatsumi's autobiography is now in its final stages. The massive 800pg book is at around 760 right now and appears to be set for release after Hayashi Seiichi's Red Color Eulogy is released. Ahh old skool manga... Mucho love. And 1971 Garo from D&Q at that. The drooling begins!!
Last Gasp
 |
the Art of Hideshi Hino by: 日野日出志 Art of Hideshi Hino by: Hino Hideshi Presspop Gallery 1 vols/alternative |
After DH and Dark Horse tried their luck with Hino-sensei, Japanese ame-indi-comi pub Presspop Gallery and Last Gasp collaborate to bring back the king of Japanese horror in a full color book featuring three never before seen stories. Blood colored Hino horror in a hardcover for $29.99... Scary!
Vertical
 | グイン・サーガ by：柳澤一明 Guin Saga by: Yanagisawa Kazuaki Media Factory/MF Comics 3 vols/seinen |
I was able to twist Vertical's arm for a review copy of Apollo's Song so that review should be coming soon.
In licensing news, Vertical confirmed which of the three Guin Saga manga they will be releasing this November. They have tapped the three volume MediaFactory version which focuses on the Seven Magi arc. Vertical editor Kerim Yasar wanted me to let all you prose readers know that they will also be releasing softcover versions of Kurimoto Kaoru's novel series.
Apparently Kurimoto-sensei gets ideas for her 100+ volume series while she does chores around her home... Did she just happen to see someone with a leopards head on TV or something? How did she come up with that while doing laundry? Oh and send Kurimoto-sensei some love by buying her books. Vertical wants to release volumes #4 & 5 but it all depends on sales of the manga and softcovers... You have your orders, soldier. Pre-order NOW!
When I got to hang out with Adam Arnold in San Diego and Yayoi Ihne in Tokyo this summer, I was consistently reminded that something big was coming. They personally promised me that and I was happy to wait patiently until... oh I don't know the MangaNext or the Frankfurt Book Fair to see something. Well looks like Jason and his band of merry manga lovers/creators have really surprised me. And they have done so without announcing a single volume of manga!!
Way to keep me on my toes guys!
Okay, so as Jarred Pine has noted in preivous MCnMaki we dig the Light Novels. Actually the Big J is gonna look at another one tomorrow (though it is not from 7S). We could not find enough adjectives for Sevens Seas' presentation of the creepy, confusing yet delightful Boogiepop series. And from what we have seen of their manga we are generally just giggly, even if Jarred isn't into the yuri (pirates and undead knights are more of his thing). Great to see Seven Seas also go at this from a very initmate perspective, giving readers here a better feel for this books. By retaining their size and page count, they should feel that these are much more accessible than the PopFiction or even crazier Viz's Novels line with with their too stylish covers and large hard to take on the go trim size. These "bite sized" light books could fit in the pockets of my baggy Dickies/Ben Davis work pants. So if I wanted to read while taking my 10 minute break on top of some scaffolding I can. I can also enjoy the color inserts and original cover elements that might have made me interested in the property in the first place. And for $7.99 (similar to PopFiction) I can expand my prose library without cutting into my manga budget too much.
So to see Seven Seas expand on this line, one they touched on in San Diego with the announcement of Ballad of a Shinigami, I was really impressed. This form of literature is relatively not very new to this market. Actually, there have been quite a few books that are formated like this in the States where comic art is occasionally mixed in between chapters of prose. But what makes this intriguing is how this idea can be applied.
Take the few titles that are currently out there. A good example is TP's Slayers. Light novel struggles and the likelihood of the more recent manga titles being licensed drops significantly, even though the property as a whole has long been established in this market. Then take Viz's ideas with Naruto and Rurouni Kenshin, two mega-hits if there are such things in translated manga. These two titles could mean additional revenue for the company for those readers that got to catch'em all. I can only wonder what a Naruto light novel reads like, but I am sure it will sell. Now if sales for ROD went through the roof, I am pretty sure I would be talking about the wonderfully written Read or Die light novels (that are the basis of the entire property), but alas.
Making this even more intriguing to me is how Seven Seas is a manga maker as well as translator. Shinigami has a manga already. And actually I can see that Strawberry Panic! And who knows maybe Seven Seas or someone else has picked up the rights already. But lets go nuts shall we. Using my crazy kanji reading eyes, I see MediaFactory's Kanokon doesn't. Hmmm. A Kanokon manga from Seven Seas perhaps?! Yeah, totally nuts but I honestly could see North American publishers try this someday. I mean some are collaborating with Japanese publishers to create manga in both markets simulataneously (Princess AI is an example). Could I see, a Kino no Tabi manga from TP? I would be shocked (and disturbed since the art is so deeply engrained in my mind) but maybe. Could Seven Seas try something like that with Gun Princess maybe too late, since Kodansha is about/or has started that, but I can see them use their artist studio for a project like this. I really think I can.
Anywho, just me and my mind going crazy. Always manga on the brain even when we are talking novels. Maybe that's why I feel light headed. (learn when to stop)
Way to keep me on my toes guys!
SEVEN SEAS ENTERTAINMENT LAUNCHES NEW "LIGHT NOVEL" IMPRINT
LOS ANGELES, September 13, 2006
– Seven Seas Entertainment announced today the launch of its all-new "Light Novel" imprint. Light novels, as they are known in Japan, are a new form of prose fiction geared towards young adults and the manga-reading audience. The imprint will feature a distinctive and innovative trim size of 10.5cm x 15cm (approx. 4.1" x 5.9") that will be instantly identifiable along with an iconic feather logo that will represent the Light Novel line. What’s more, all of Seven Seas’ Light Novel titles will carry an affordable cover price of $7.95 each.
"We’re confident that our new Light Novel imprint will finally get manga fans excited about novels," says Seven Seas’ president Jason DeAngelis. "We’ve got some incredible content, so the rest is about price and format. Our bite-sized light novels will be the same dimensions as they are in Japan, and will be priced low in order to help expand the market."
Light novels have been growing in popularity among North American manga fans for some time now, but publishers have always reformatted them to appear as either standard mass market paperbacks or similar to manga. Seven Seas will be the first publisher to truly distinguish light novels as something unique, presenting them in a more authentic format comparable to Japanese light novel dimensions. These pocket-sized books will contain approximately 200-300 pages of prose, interspersed with manga-style illustrations and color inserts.
Seven Seas’ new Light Novel imprint will launch in April 2007 with six titles that are all ongoing series: Ballad of a Shinigami, about a young female grim reaper; Pita-Ten, featuring the continuing adventures of Koge-Donbo’s loveable characters; Strawberry Panic, a popular "yuri" series set in a girl’s dormitory; Kanokon, a love triangle comedy in the vein of Fruits Basket about a boy, a fox girl and a wolf girl; Gun Princess, an epic fantasy about a trio on a quest for the ultimate weapon in a magical world; and Vamp!, a comedic dark fantasy about vampire clans, a vampire princess, and the man who hunts them.
Okay, so as Jarred Pine has noted in preivous MCnMaki we dig the Light Novels. Actually the Big J is gonna look at another one tomorrow (though it is not from 7S). We could not find enough adjectives for Sevens Seas' presentation of the creepy, confusing yet delightful Boogiepop series. And from what we have seen of their manga we are generally just giggly, even if Jarred isn't into the yuri (pirates and undead knights are more of his thing). Great to see Seven Seas also go at this from a very initmate perspective, giving readers here a better feel for this books. By retaining their size and page count, they should feel that these are much more accessible than the PopFiction or even crazier Viz's Novels line with with their too stylish covers and large hard to take on the go trim size. These "bite sized" light books could fit in the pockets of my baggy Dickies/Ben Davis work pants. So if I wanted to read while taking my 10 minute break on top of some scaffolding I can. I can also enjoy the color inserts and original cover elements that might have made me interested in the property in the first place. And for $7.99 (similar to PopFiction) I can expand my prose library without cutting into my manga budget too much.
 ヴぁんぷ！ Vamp! by: 成田良悟 (Narita Ryogo with Illustrations by: Enami Katsumi) MediaWorks/Dengeki Bunko 3 Vols |
 銃姫 Gun Princess by: 高殿円 (Takadono Madoka with Illustrations by: Enami Katsumi) MediaFactory/MF Bunko 7 Vols |
 かのこん Kanokon by: 西野かつみ (Nishino Katsumi with Illustrations by: Koin) MediaFactory/MF Bunko 3 vols |
 ストロベリー・パニック！ Strawberry Panic! by: 公野桜子 (Kouno Sakurako with Illustrations by: Takumi Namuchi) MediaWorks/Dengeki Bunko 2 vols |
So to see Seven Seas expand on this line, one they touched on in San Diego with the announcement of Ballad of a Shinigami, I was really impressed. This form of literature is relatively not very new to this market. Actually, there have been quite a few books that are formated like this in the States where comic art is occasionally mixed in between chapters of prose. But what makes this intriguing is how this idea can be applied.
Take the few titles that are currently out there. A good example is TP's Slayers. Light novel struggles and the likelihood of the more recent manga titles being licensed drops significantly, even though the property as a whole has long been established in this market. Then take Viz's ideas with Naruto and Rurouni Kenshin, two mega-hits if there are such things in translated manga. These two titles could mean additional revenue for the company for those readers that got to catch'em all. I can only wonder what a Naruto light novel reads like, but I am sure it will sell. Now if sales for ROD went through the roof, I am pretty sure I would be talking about the wonderfully written Read or Die light novels (that are the basis of the entire property), but alas.
Making this even more intriguing to me is how Seven Seas is a manga maker as well as translator. Shinigami has a manga already. And actually I can see that Strawberry Panic! And who knows maybe Seven Seas or someone else has picked up the rights already. But lets go nuts shall we. Using my crazy kanji reading eyes, I see MediaFactory's Kanokon doesn't. Hmmm. A Kanokon manga from Seven Seas perhaps?! Yeah, totally nuts but I honestly could see North American publishers try this someday. I mean some are collaborating with Japanese publishers to create manga in both markets simulataneously (Princess AI is an example). Could I see, a Kino no Tabi manga from TP? I would be shocked (and disturbed since the art is so deeply engrained in my mind) but maybe. Could Seven Seas try something like that with Gun Princess maybe too late, since Kodansha is about/or has started that, but I can see them use their artist studio for a project like this. I really think I can.
Anywho, just me and my mind going crazy. Always manga on the brain even when we are talking novels. Maybe that's why I feel light headed. (learn when to stop)
Okay you have heard the panel from the NYCC, now you can check out the cover art...
Dark Horse is back! Seriously just when I thought some of the smaller pubs (namely AW and CPM Press) were digging into the seinen markets, Carl Horn and DH show just why they don't do shojo/shonen!
They are continuing their mature titles while at the same time becoming more diverse in regards to type of titles and source publishers.
Samurai, sci-fi, war, horror, drama and manga art... add that to their existing line up and DH looks stronger than ever. Man they are following through already!
 新・子連れ狼 Shin Lone Wolf and Cub by：森 秀樹/小池 一夫 (Mori Goseki/Koike Kazuo) Shogakukan/Big Comics 6+ vols |
 メイル by： 山崎峰水 (Yamasaki Housui) Kadokawa Shoten/Comics A 3 vol |
 黒鷺死体宅配便 Kurosagi Delivery Service of Corpse by: 山崎峰水／大塚英志 (Yamasaki Housui/Otsuka Eiji) Kadokawa Shoten/Comics A 5+ vols |
 トランスルーセント Translucent by: 岡本 一広 (Okamoto Kazuhiro) Media Factory/MF Comics 3+ vols |
 フー・ファイター Who Fighter by: 滝沢聖峰 (Takizawa Seihou) DaiNippon Eiga/MG Comics 1 vol |
 SS Small S Asuka Shinsha Magazine 4 issues |
Dark Horse is back! Seriously just when I thought some of the smaller pubs (namely AW and CPM Press) were digging into the seinen markets, Carl Horn and DH show just why they don't do shojo/shonen!
They are continuing their mature titles while at the same time becoming more diverse in regards to type of titles and source publishers.
Samurai, sci-fi, war, horror, drama and manga art... add that to their existing line up and DH looks stronger than ever. Man they are following through already!