I really do think there is a link between Icarus and BroBooks. Yet again, hours after one announces a new license, rumors from the other pop up around the internets. This time AoD staff member Noodle informs forum members of a new license found over at Amazon this weekend.

Now I remember BroBooks hinting at a few new licenses. This one isn't one I was anxiously expecting though. I also found it funny that this is listed Amazon before NUI! was. Curious. So is this Do re mi, Melazoma or something completely different?

Kou Cupid is published by Broccoli's manga magazine ComiDegi+ so logically BroBooks should have had an option for it (or at least I would think so after what I heard about KonKon Kokon).

BroBooks

恋きゅー♥ by: 征海未亜 Koi KyuHeart by: Ikumi Mia Broccoli/ComiDeji Comics shounen/2+ vol

Over at the IKI Blog, Simon Jones informs his fellow eromanga aficionados of the tentative licenses from Akaneshinsha.

Sanka no Koku (is that the right reading Simon?) is another title from the creator of Icarus' Taboo District - YUUKI. Call this one confirmed according to Mr Jones. The other two are still up in the air.

Read Me! by Hinemosu Notari is a very new title from Akaneshinsha's Tenma (released in Japan at the end of August). This collection features ten stories (two of them two chapters long) and according to the description at Akaneshinsha this book should have a little futanari action going on.

Erect Touch's Mazo Chichi was recently reviewed at figure site HD and currently looks like a "big maybe" to Mr Jones. To me it looks like big bosoms but then again my glasses might need to be checked.

Icarus Pub

まぞ・ちち by： エレクトさわる MazoChiChi by: Erect Touch Akaneshinsha/Tenma Comics eromanga/1 vol

Read　me！ by： ひねもすのたり Read Me! by: Hinemosu Notari Akaneshinsha/Tenma Comics eromanga/1 vol

散華の刻 by： 悠宇樹 Sanka no Koku by: Yuuki Akaneshinsha/Tenma Comics eromanga/1 vol

If you are reading Simon, if you can't get Read Me! locked up, could you consider going after Hinemosu-sensei's Uniform Devotion from Fujimi Shuppan?

It is so good to have friends. As I am 3000miles away from New Jersey right now there was no way I could have been at MangaNEXT to celebrate mangadom with the few thousand that cosplayed and participated in manga theory over the weekend. However, I do know peeps who were down in the trenches. They were conducting interviews, hosting panels and talking to editors. And some of them were kind enough to share some of their new found knowledge with the MangaCast

Jason Yadao of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin was kind enough to give me word on two new licenses from MediaBlasters. Looks like Frankie is trying to branch out from BL again. And his new strategy is otaku titles?! Not a bad idea. But the translation and notes for these titles have to be top notch for them to really work.

Jason also found out that MB will be renaming Mousou Shoujo Otaku-kei as Fujioshi Rumi... Okay, see that's what I mean. I don't know there is something about the original title that I really liked. Yeah it doesn't work in English but I liked the idea of a delusional shojo (as the title suggests).

MediaBlasters

アキハバラ＠DEEP by: アカネ　マコト　& 石田　衣良 Akihabara@DEEP by: Akane Makoto & Ishida Ira Coamix/Bunch Comics seinen/6 vols

ストロベリーちゃんの華麗な生活 by： 森永　あい Strawberry-chan no Karei na Seikatsu by: Morinaga Ai Libre/Zero Comics shojo/2 vols

Akihabara@deep is written by the author of DMP's IWGP. The title also inspired a drama series in Japan. Morinaga's Strawberry-chan isn't an otaku title but apparently people like Morinaga's humor... I'll leave that one alone. Cool to see Libre is working on their shojo line Zero Comics (even if they are no longer running the magazine).

This is off-topic, but I wonder if MediaBlasters is going to go after the "Fujoshi Rumi" movie that is coming later this year? Hmmmm...

News from MangaNEXT has Del Rey announcing two new manga titles from Kodansha. But the big news is the announcement of more prose in the form of FAUST.

We have talked about FAUST here before. FAUST is a prose and manga magazine from the maverick division of Kodansha's manga dept. A number of well known writers and aritsts have contributed to the publication over the two years that the mook was in print. Publication has slowed down lately though, as the last issue went on sale back in autumn of 2006. Recently though with the announcement of English, Korean and Taiwanese versions of FAUST the magazine has been rumored to resume publication sometime this fall (ummm hasn't fall started).

Artists and Writers featured in Faust
Kinoko Nasu and Koyama Hirokazu (Type-Moon, creators of Lunar Legend Tsukihime, novel and art)
Kouga Yun (Loveless, title art for a short)
Ueda Hajime (FLCL manga & QKo-chan, manga)
Ryuukishi Zeronana (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, story)
Otsuichi (Calling You, three stories)
Obata Takeshi (art for Otsuichi)
Takimoto Tatsuhiko (Welcome to the NHK!, two stories and an anthology short)
Thom Jones (American writer, his short Cold Snap was reprint here with art from Maijo Otarou)
Nishimura Kinu (Street Fighter/Capcom, title art)

Del Rey

はりだま退魔塾 by： 鈴見敦 Harry Dama by: Suzumi Atsushi Kodansha/Sirius KC shounen/1 vol

トト！ the wonderful adventure by： 長田悠幸 Toto! by: Osada Yu-ko Kodansha/Shonen Magazine Shounen/5 vols

メイド・マシンガン by： ありや Maid MachineGun by: ARIYA Kodansha/Kodansha Bunko Novel/1 vol

ファウスト 闘うイラストーリー ノベルスマガジン FAUST the Battle Illu-story Novel Magazine Kodansha/Kodansha BOX Novels-Manga/7+ issues

Personally the manga does nothing for me. Harry Dama is another strange Sirius KC pick. TOTO!... I would have rather had Capeta.

KaiMing Cha from PW's Comics Week has the word on CMX's two newest licenses. And guess what? They are both from the pen of an all-time favorite of mine Yagami Yu creator of the hilarious Those Who Hunt Elves (ADV Manga... on hiatus) and the weird but entertaining Hikkatsu (Go!Comi).

Go West... Well I can't say its his best work. Was everyone into the Wild West back then... I mean didn't Watsuki-sensei also try that? Sumeba Miyako no Cosmos-sou is pretty good though. A little short, the series really left me wanting to read the novels from Achi Taro.

Expect the two from Yu to start next spring with Dokkoida and Go West will follow in November 08. And hopefully TWHE's will be back on shelves by then... I can dream can't I??

CMX

住めば都のコスモス荘 by:阿智太郎/矢上裕 Dokkoida! by: Achi Taro/Yagami Yu MediaWorks/Dengeki Comics seinen/3 vols

Go West! by: 矢上裕 Go West! by: Yagami Yu MediaWorks/Dengeki Comics Seinen/4 vols

Filed this under rumored plus for the time being, but Jen at Yaoi Suki (through the Yahoo Yaoi in English Group) found one of two new titles entered into the Amazon database by new BL manga imprint Deux. These two new titles from Kano Shiuko are scheduled for release in Feb 2008

Deux

仏頂BABY by: 鹿乃しうこ Tough Love BABY by: Kano Shiuko Futabasha/Futaba Bunko BL/1 vol

花組仁侠伝 by: 鹿乃しうこ Yakuza in Love by: Kano Shiuko Futabasha/Futaba Bunko BL/2 vol

Nobody does nyuu (bosoms) like Nishimaki Tohru. The guy has made a living on them with his bakunyuu series - Blue Eyes. And Icarus has been very kind to provide the series through volume three so far. Simon announced Volume #4 a few months back. Now he is ready to share some more Nishimaki with the English reading world.

Another volume of Blue Eyes is scheduled for 2008 and on top of that there is a new story Scarlet Desire (which came out a few months back from Juicy Shuppan). More juicy nyuu for me and you. That's if you are 18+ of course.

Icarus Pub

Blue Eyes 5 by: にしまきとおる Blue Eyes 5 by: Tohru Nishimaki Hit Shuppansha/Hit Comics ero-manga/1 vol

Scarlet Desire by: にしまきとおる Scarlet Desire by: Tohru Nishimaki Juicy Shuppan/Juicy Comics ero-manga/1 vol

The gang at AoD dug up four new NETCOMICS titles from the vast Amazon jungle last week. And while a couple people were into having more Korean shounen-ai, no one said a word about NETCOMICS' second manga title.

Honey Senior, Darling Junior by Ochi Chifumi was originally published by Daitosha in Japan and will see a print run in 2008. I thought reps at NETCOMICS said they wouldn't be printing Japanese titles? I know 30degrees wasn't collected into tankoboun in Japan, which would make sense. Either way interesting news from this pub. And more from the creator of Peter Panda isn't a bad thing either.

NETCOMICS

レンアイ日常茶飯事１ by: 越智千文 Honey Senior, Darling Junior by: Ochi Chifumi Daitousha/GUSH Comics 2 vols/BL

완전무결하게 사로잡히다 by: 유하진 Totally Captivated by: HaJin Yoo eComix 14 vols/BL

로맨스 파파 by: 이영란 Romance Papa by: Lee YoungRan Haksan 8 vols/shoujo

네 멋대로 해라 애장판 by: 나예리 Do Whatever You Want by: Yeri Na Haksan 5 vols/BL

Not really new but definitely something to talk about is the announcement of Vertical's newest license Dororo.

One of Tezuka's titles from the early 60's the story of Dororo might not be new to MangaCast readers. Actually I reviewed a story that was loosely based on Dororo for the very first MangaCast review back in 2005. CMX's MADARA has a very similar feel and story. This is the tale of a young man who was born destined to vanquish demonkind. The demons sensing their forthcoming mortality made a pledge with the child's father, promising him great power if he would divide the child into 48 parts (one for each demon lord). The father agreed and the child was born only to be hacked up before being abandoned in a river.

The child survives. His adopted family provide him with mechanical prosthetics. And eventually he retrieves his body parts - one by one.

Now the main character isn't Dororo. Dororo is actually his sidekick of sorts. The greatest thief in Japan is what he claims. Turns out to be quite handy when collecting stolen goods.

Should be a fun read and with two Dororo movies coming out in the next two years Vertical should get some good pub when this debuts next spring.

Vertical

どろろ by: 手塚治虫 Dororo by: Tezuka Osamu Akita Shoten/Top Comics 2 vols/shounen

Blogging from the future to give you audio from the past!!!

As I scramble to get a new check card mailed to me while I am still at the homebase in Osaka, I have some audio from AX to share with you. Listen to the women of DrMaster talk Purgatory Kabuki, Premature Priest and yes Iron Wok Jan!! Oh and listen carefully to those new titles. Not very shojo but why would I care since one is from Play Magazine! WOOHOO! Seinen represent!

And man this one actually sounds pretty good. The audience isn't mic'd so they sound like crap but the panelists are pretty clear here. (Now if I just didn't show up late to this panel... About 3 minutes of the start are missing. Sorry)

Download the audio recording of this SDCC Panel here: .

Subscribe to the MangaCast at

Having been on the SDCC panel scene for AoD and MangaCast for the last 6 years I have experienced my share of launches. For the longest time Del Rey's debut with Dallas and Betsy was easily the best I have seen. Kurt, Jim, JuYoun and Tania just outclassed them. Maybe it was the years of experience. It could have been the number of panelists. Maybe it was the advances in technology that helped. Whatever it was, they were candid, entertaining and they were poignant.

Kurt laid down the gauntlet and said "Yen will not be censoring its manga." He then turned around and let Rich announce a pretty racy title SunDome! from one of the best etchi mangaka in recent history Okuta Kazuto. That title might not look right next to With the Light... but then again B&N will be shelving With the Light in the child development shelves. With the Light will also have a 6 month frequency, be released in an omnibus format and come with a low price of $14.99.

Kieli is based on the award winning novel of the same name. A rare shoujo mystery title this is another way Yen is looking to expand the market by introducing new genres to readers.

I haven't read Kaze no Hana ~Maryuu Hakkenden~ but the art looks great. I get a feeling this title will sneak up on people. MediaWorks titles tend to do that (Blood Alone, EatMan, Gunslinger Girl...)

Yen also will be launching in the UK this fall and will have simultaneous releases in the States and UK. The delay in localization often from American productions has hurt British attempts to release manga despite their competitive costs and uncensored material. Yen will reduce the delay and give readers the same quality as the US version.

The entire ICE Kunion catalog belongs to Yen. ISBNs for books in the market now will remain but new releases (starting in 2008) will feature the Yp on the spine. I'd personally keep the ICE imprint, but in theory the Yen brand would get boost if readers can associate Bring it On and Goong with Yp.

Finally a little note on SFX... SFX will be subbed and transcribed giving the reader a chance to see the original SFX and also get the sound with meaning to each FX.

All in all a good start from the publisher

Yen Press

すんドめ by: 岡田和人 SunDome! by: Okuta Kazuto Akita Shoten/Young Champion 2+ vol/seinen

キーリ by: 壁井ユカコ & 手代木史織 Kieri by: Kabei Yukako & Teshirogi Shiori Akita Shoten/Bonita Comics 2 vol/shoujo

風ノ華 by: 太田顕喜/巳蔦汐生 Kaze no Hana by: Ota Akiyoshi & Mizta Ushio MediaWorks/Dengeki Comics 3 vols/seinen

CMX... You know Asako and Jim, you guys are great. Truly great.

Throughout the weekend they teased me. First they had some Flex Comix on display for me and the thousands of manga readers in San Diego to sample. Then they go and license Shin-chan and then they announce one of my favorite shoujo titles of all time!! Thanks for the wonderful birthday present! The MangaCast is now two year's old and we now get a chance to read...

TeruTeru Shounen!!! Oh and they also have TokiKake!! Woohoo!!

CMX

時をかける少女　 by: ツガノガク Girl Who Leapt Through Time by: Tsugano Gaku Kadokawa/Comics Ace 2 vol/shounen

地平球EX by: 二越 としみ the Flat Earth Exchange by: Nigoshi Toshimi enterbrain!/Bros Comics 4 vols/shounen

てるてる×少年 by： 高尾滋 TeruTeru Shounen by: Takao Shigeru Haksensha/Hana to Yume 11 vols/shoujo

エマ (8) by：森薫 Emma 8 by: Mori Kaoru enterbrain!/BEAM Comix 1+ vols/seinen

Good to see a much larger crowd this year at the Seven Seas panel. And in keeping up with established traditions (this one started at AX 07) Seven Seas and their artists were joined on stage by a few members of the audience. Talk about getting close and personal with the people behind the manga you read. Also on the panel was Isoda-san from MediaWorks. Jason credited Isoda as the man who gave Seven Seas their break. The gang from Seven Seas seemed very proud to have him there and the audience (mainly me and some peeps I was with were also very psyched to see him as well).

Seven Seas made a number of new announcements a few weeks back but they still had a couple new titles to talk about. Sounds like they are really taking their Strawberry line very seriously as they picked up a big name in Hayate Cross Blade and another from wonderful artist Hakamada Mera - Akatsuki Iro no Senpuku Majo.

Jason and Adam also wanted to point out that Seven Seas has dropped their price point for their Seven Seas manga line. Seven Seas titles will now be $9.99 and they will continue to have all of the color plates, translator notes and extra art as they have had in the past. Their Strawberry line will remain at its existing price.

They have also named their BL line. It will be called the BeeLine. Expect a little honey bee on the spines for those.

Seven Seas

暁色の潜伏魔女　 by: 袴田　めら Akatsuki Iro no Senpuku Majo by: Hakamada Mera Futabasha/High Comics 1 vol/yuri

はやて×ブレード by: 林家　志弦 Hayate Cross Blade by: Hayashiya Shizuru MediaWorks/Dengeki Comics 7+ vol/seinen

I need to get clarification on these but Seven Seas also announced two new novels. Girl's Life and Girls' Revolution have been announced as yuri novel properties for 7S. I don't know anything about these books. So I will make sure to go check on them (specifically the author names).