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Drawing a New Generation of Manga - London Talk October 2016

Date: 2016 October 03 14:53 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

Fans of manga looking for something interesting to will want to head over to Foyles Book shop on Charign Cross Road for the Manga: The New Generation talk. Ken Niimura and Miki Yamamoto will be joined by curator and comics writer Paul Gravett to discuss the new wave of manga artists.

The event is set to take place on Monday 17tth October 2016 from 6:30pm.

The event is free to attend but booking is essential.

As always with events like this, we advise booking early to avoid disappointment.

Sherlock: A Study in Pink Manga Release Date

Date: 2016 September 12 15:43 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

Fans of BBC Series Sherlock will already know about the English language release of the manga adaptation we've covered before.

Currently Titan Comics have split the manga up into 6 comic books to sell the chapters separately. The full collected manga for Sherlock: A Study in Pink will be released on 31st January 2016 as a single book.

The book is available to pre-order from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

Manga Jiman 2016 Competition Details

Date: 2016 August 19 04:57 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

Aspiring or upcoming artists based in the UK will be interested in the Embassy of Japan in the UK's Manga Jiman Competition. This year marks the 10th edition of competition. With the top prize being a return flight for two people to Japan, thanks to All Nippon Airways!

This year's theme is "Sights of Japan". The competition has two categories; Yonkoma Manga, a comic strip of 4 panels on one page, for entrants aged between 11 and 13 and Manga Jiman, a short story told across 6 to 8 pages for anyone aged 14 or over.

The competition closes on Monday, 24 October 2016. So get drawing!

Manga Workshop at Gnash Comics and Graphic Novels in Devon August 2016

Date: 2016 August 05 15:41 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

Are you a UK based aspiring manga artist and will be in Ashburton in Devon on Sunday 21st August 2016? Well if so why not drop into Gnash Comics and Graphic Novels? They'll be hosting two manga workshops, one intro session at 1pm and another Manga Workshop at 2:30pm.

Fakku Publishing and Toshio Maeda Running Kickstarter to publish Legend of the Overfiend in English

Date: 2016 June 22 16:02 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Freaky Things

Sitting on a train travelling home, a man wearing a trench coat walked past me, I couldn't see his face, it was covered by the brim of his hat, I could see he had a moustache. I thought this was strange attire for the middle of June. I didn't know who he was, but he clearly knew me. Just as the train pulled into the next station he passed me a plain brown envelope and left the train before I could process what happened.

I waited until I got home until opening the envelope, just in case, as it's not everyday mustachioed stranger delivers a letter on public transport. The letter was from on-line retailer United Publications, they wanted to tell us that they've started stocking books for *ahem* mature readers from publisher Fakku. The letter said Fakku are company driven by fans, something United Publications are keen to support.

Not wanting to stop, the letter carried on.

"We know you've met renowned hentai master Toshio Maeda, but are you aware of the Kickstarter to get his most famous work Legend of the Overfiend published in English?"

We weren't aware of this Kickstarter, but now we are. Thank you, kind trenchcoated stranger.

The Kickstarter is due to end on Wednesday 20th July 2016. As of the time of writing $32,919 has been pledged towards the $47,000 (USD) target.

Souce: Fakku Kickstarter

Tezuka and Toriyama Artwork Auction Sale Results

Date: 2016 June 01 17:03 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

We've already mentioned the Sotheby's auction that contained artwork from Osamu Tezuka and Akira Toriyama. What we haven't covered is how much each item went for.

The prices listed below are the hammer price with the buyer's premium.

The Tezuka artwork went mostly within the estimated prices.

Lot 231 was estimated to sell for 8,000 to 10,000 EUR. It went for 8,750.

Lot 232 was estimated to sell for 3,000 to 4,000 EUR. It went for 3,625.

Lot 233 was estimated to sell for 2,000 to 3,000 EUR. It went for 1,750.

Lot 234 was estimated to sell for 2,500 to 3,000 EUR. It went for 2,750.1

Akira Toriyama's drawing was Lot 235 with an estimated sale price of 2,000 to 3,000 EUR. It sold for 15,000. That's 5 times the original estimated price.

Souce: Sotheby\'s

Sotheby's to Auction Tezuka and Toriyama Artwork

Date: 2016 May 05 15:37 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

Manga fans with cash to splash will want to head over to famous auctioneers Sotheby's for their bandes dessinées auction (drawn strips). The collection of sequential art is mainly European and American artists. However manga fans are in for a treat with manga master Osamu Tezuka artwork for sale with prices ranging from 2,000 to 10,000 EUR. They've also got an original Akira Toriyama drawing too, which is estimated to sell from 2,000 to 3,000 EUR.

The auction will take place on Saturday 14th May 2016 at 2pm in Paris. You can bid on-line, but note that first-time bidders must pre-register 24 hours in advance of the sale in order to be approved by Sotheby's.

Thanks to Deb Aoki for the tip off on this story.

Hyper Japan July 2016 Details

Date: 2016 April 12 16:36 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

The good folks from Hyper Japan have just sent us details of their July 2016 event. It's set to run at the Olympia in London, from Friday 15th to Sunday 17th July 2016. As always there's so much to do for fans of Japan! It is after all a Japanese Culture event! There'll be cosplay with the COSTest competition, arts and crafts workshops including one where you can create your own Kokeshi dolls. There will also be plenty of Japanese food to enjoy and other fun goodies.

Read More... | Souce: Hyper Japan

Kadokawa Buy Majority Stake in Yen Press

Date: 2016 April 12 16:03 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

Manga publishing imprint Yen Press have just announced that they have entered into an agreement with mega-content publisher Kadokawa. The Yen Press imprint will be span off to form a new company Yen Pres LLC. Kadokawa will own 51% of the new company while the original parent company of Yen Press, Hachette Book Group will own the remaining 49%.

This is interesting news. There are many reasons why a Japanese media giant like Kadokawa would want their own English language manga publisher. Industry watchers are already speculating about what Yen Press will do next.

The news was first announced on Anime News Network.

World Cosplay Summit UK Qualifiers Details

Date: 2016 April 05 14:09 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

UK based cosplayers want to make their mark on the global cosplay stage will be interested in The World Cosplay Summit. The UK Qualifiers will be held at the MCM London Comic Con on Saturday 28th May 2016. There a team of two will be selected to represent their country as Britain's best cosplayers. They'll get flown to Japan for over a week of activities and attractions, including the WCS final itself.

So get making! As always, we suggest you check the rules and regulations.

Kiniro Mosaic Manga Licensed in English by Yen Press

Date: 2016 March 28 17:00 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

Regular readers of Otaku News will know our editor has a soft spot for Kiniro Mosaic. It's the story of a British school girl called Alice who lives with her Japanese friend Shinobu in Japan. A few years ago we went to the the actual location used for the anime. The anime is based on a 4 panel gag manga with the same name. Yen Press have just announced that they've got the license for the manga. They announced the news at Sakura-Con 2016. As of yet, there is no scheduled release date for the manga by Yui Hara.

There is also a special episode of the anime in works too.

Souce: Yen Press

Sherlock Manga Release Details Update

Date: 2016 March 26 15:21 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

We've already published details about Titan Comic's up-coming release of the Sherlock Manga. As news is spreading we wanted to know more details about the actual release. So we go it touch with Titan Comics editor Andrew James to talk about the release.

The Embassy of Japan Announce Manga Jiman 2015 Winners

Date: 2016 March 22 17:43 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The Embassy of Japan have been running the Manga Jiman for 9 years now. The premise of the completion is simple. Each year has a theme and the artists have to create a story around the theme. Previous themes have included "a chance encounter" and "voyages of discovery". This year's theme was "bright young things". Prizes include 2 return flights to Japan for the top prize winner, a laptop for the runner up, plus a top end digital camera.

Shojo Manga: The World of Japanese Girls' Comics Exhibition in London

Date: 2016 March 16 16:08 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

The good folks from House of Illustration have sent us details of their up new exhibition Shojo Manga: The World of Japanese Girls' Comics. The exhibition is set to run from Friday 18th March to Sunday 12th June 2016 in at House of Illustration, 2 Granary Square, King’s Cross, London N1C 4BH.

It's the first major UK exhibition tour of the genre, from its golden era to the present day.

The Open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-6pm. It's closed Mondays. Admission is £7.70 (with gift aid), Concessions £5.50 (with Gift Aid).

Lone Wolf and Cub Motion Comic Project Kickstarter Details

Date: 2016 February 25 16:03 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

We've just been sent details of a new Kickstarter called Samurai Lone Wolf. It aims to turn the classic manga Lone Wolf Cub into a motion comic.

What's a motion comic? According to the Kick stater it's "...a term for a next generation of comics that takes realism of the medium to a new level, using digital processing techniques to enrich the original artwork by adding movement to the drawings that were inked by the hand of the artists themselves."

Basically it's moving manga. They intend to take the original artwork and animate it slightly. So characters lips will move. Characters arm movements will animated in key panels and so on.

Lone Wolf and Cub has won plenty of awards including an Eisner Award (Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material / Best Archival Collection/Project). It's been adapted into movies and a TV show in Japan. It's also known as Shogun Assassin in some places. The manga itself is hugely influential and held in high regard. We just wonder is there any demand for a motion comic? Part of the joy of reading manga is letting your imagination fill in the gaps. You can read it at your own speed, you can spend ages admiring the line work or speed through pages as you please. The goal has been set to $300,000 USD. We think this crowdfunding attempt is ambitious. So far $1,140 has been pledged with 29 days left, so there's plenty of time for it to reach it's goal.

Sherlock Manga US and UK Release Details

Date: 2016 February 19 16:02 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

Fans of a certain Baker Street Detective will be very pleased to hear that comic publisher Titan have announced that they'll be publishing the Sherlock Manga in the UK and US. Comic Book Resources revealed that Titan Comics announced at ComicsPro retailer summit that Sherlock: A Study in Pink will debut in June 2016.

The officially licensed Sherlock manga was published by Kadokawa Comics in Japan in 2012 in Young Ace magazine. It was published as a tankobon (standalone book) in Japanese in 2013. The manga closely follows the original BBC Sherlock episode featuring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.

As of yet, it's not clear if Titan will be publishing the manga in it's original Japanese right to left format or if they'll flip it.

Souce: Comic Book Resources

Seven Seas Entertainment Licenses My Girlfriend is a T-Rex

Date: 2015 December 04 17:59 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

We've just heard from the good folks at Seven Seas Entertainment about a new manga they've licensed. It's called My Girlfriend is a T-Rex. No, it's not a typo. It's an actual manga. According to the press release:

"My Girlfriend is a T-Rex-like Monster Musume but with a very prehistoric twist!". So that explains the influence and the target audience.

If you like your anime girls carnivorous and cold blooded then this title is clearly for you. You might have to wait a while to get your hands on it as Seven Seas have states that it will be released on 1st November 2016.

We're thinking this is a must to add to your manga / graphic novel collection.

Shojo Manga - Comics For Girls London December 2015 Talk

Date: 2015 November 21 16:23 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

London based fans of Shojo Manga will want to head over to a talk run by the Japan Foundation. What Girls Want - The World of Shojo Manga (Girls' Comics) is set to run on Monday 14th December 2015 at Foyles on Charing Cross Road from 6:30pm.

"In this talk Nozomi Masuda, Associate Professor, Konan Women’s University, Japan, will trace the origins of Shojo Manga from its beginnings in girls’ magazine through to its more recent transformations today, questioning what significance the genre has in Japanese society, and what it has been expressing over its diverse and complex themes."

Manga artist Eiko Hanamura will also be there to talk to Paul Gravett and Nozomi Masuda about Shojo Manga.

The talk is free to attend, but as always we advise booking early to avoid disappointment.

The Osamu Tezuka Story - A Life in Manga and Anime Book Details

Date: 2015 October 19 16:02 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from publishers Stone Bridge Press have just sent us details for a new book out in July 2016. They'll be publishing The Osamu Tezuka Story A Life in Manga and Anime by Toshio Ban & Tezuka Productions. This is going to be a huge book weighing in at over 900 pages, it covers the entire life of Osamu Tezuka, the creator of Astro Boy and man seen as the founding father of modern manga and anime.

This book is translated by Frederik L. Schodt. He's known for many things in including translating the original Ghost In the Shell manga into English (with Toren Smith). He's also written numerous award winning books books on manga. He knows his stuff!

You can pre-order the book from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

Stone Bridge Press publish high quality books on Japanese culture, anime and manga. They're the publishers behind the The Anime Encyclopedia.

AmeCon 2016 Registration Details Announced and Kitacon 2016 Details Revealed

Date: 2015 August 02 14:24 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Fandom

We know UK anime fans like to keep up to date with convention news. As another Kitacon draws to it's end, at it's closing ceremony UK anime convention AmeCon have just announced when it will open for registration.

The AmeCon team revealed that their website will accept registrations on Monday 31st August 2015. The convention is set to run from Friday 29th to Sunday 31st July 2016 at the Warwick Arts Centre.

Kitacon 2016 is also due to run from Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd April 2016, once again at the Birmingham Hilton Metropole NEC. As of yet they've yet to announce when they'll open for registration.

It's normal for fan run conventions like this to take registration in advance, they often sell out quickly, so we advise booking early to avoid disappointment. Tickets are not sold at the door. Once they reach capacity, then anyone else wishing to attend is normally added to a wait list.

Souce: Kitacon

Embassy of Japan in the UK Announce Manga Jiman Competition 2015

Date: 2015 July 30 16:28 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Art

Readers with an artistic streak will be pleased to hear that the Embassy of Japan in the UK has announced the Manga Jiman Competition 2015.

There are 2 categories Manga Jiman for people aged 14 and over (there is no upper age limit), and Yonkoma Manga for 11 to 13 year olds.

Each year has a theme, this years theme is bright young things.

The competition is only open to UK residents, if you are artistic we strongly advise you to enter as the first prize is a return flight for 2 people to Japan.

You can see previous entries here.
Last year's winner was Cogs by Lorenzo Fruzza.

Inside The Industry: Anime Talk - Report

Date: 2015 July 14 16:27 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Features

It's not often you get to see behind the scenes of the anime industry and find out what it's really like. This week the Japan Foundation in London hosted a talk called Inside The Industry: Anime.

The event brought together:
Hirokatsu Kihara who worked at Studio Ghibli before becoming a best selling author.

Michihiko Suwa who works as Chief Producer at the Animation Department of Yomiuri TV and credits include Detective Conan (aka Case Closed) anime.

Aya Suzuki a British/Japanese Layout artist, 2D Character/FX animator and occasional animation lecturer. Projects worked on include (but are not limited to) Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises at Studio Ghibli, plus Mamoru Hosoda's Wolf Children.

Stephen Cavalier acted as chair, bringing his two decades experience in the animation and games industries along with authoring a book on The World History of Animation

The event ran on Monday 13th July 2015. It was free to attend and it was so popular there was waiting list. The audience was a mix of anime/manga fans along with animation students and animation industry professionals.

Read More... | Souce: Otaku News

NHK World Launch Video On Demand Service

Date: 2015 July 07 16:29 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Websites

International Japanese TV Station NHK World has just launched a new Video on Demand Service. The on-line streaming service is free to use and is perfect for those viewers who missed something on the station or are unable to receive the free to air satellite station.

The service shows content about Japan (and how awesome the country is) in English. Content is either shown with subtitles or dubbed into English. A lot of the shows have English speaking hosts too. They've got all sorts of content for every kind of fan of Japan. They've got Kawaii International for those interested in the latest cute fashion trends. Core Kyoto focuses on ancient capital, while Tokyo Eye 2020 helps you discover what's happing in Tokyo in time for the Olympics. For the anime, manga and gaming fan imagine-nation is a must.

Souce: NHK World Video On Demand

Viz Media To Release Print Edition of One-Punch Man

Date: 2015 June 06 16:24 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

Fans of smash hit manga One-Punch Man (pun intended), will be pleased to hear that Viz Media will be releasing a print copy of the title in September 2015. The title is already available digitally, but we know some of you like physical tangible manga too. We've got a review of Volume 1 here.

Uniqlo Launch Manga T-shirt Collections

Date: 2015 June 01 14:38 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Retail

Fans of anime and manga who like to declare their fandom on t-shirts will be pleased to hear about Uniqlo UK's latest range of Manga T-shirt Collections.

The global Japanese fashion retailer have designs from Ghost In the Shell Arise, Taiyou Matsumoto + Nicolas de Crécy and Osamu Tezuka.

Hyper Japan July 2015 Details

Date: 2015 May 27 14:19 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

UK based fans of Japanese culture will be interested in Hyper Japan. The regular Japanese Culture event is set to return to London, this time at The O2.

The event is set to run from Friday 10th to Sunday 12 July 2015. As always it's listed on the Otaku Calendar.

There'll be lots to see and do there, highlights include as always all the food, plus anime music singer Eir Aoi, best known for her work on Sword Art Online and Kill La Kill. Anime is also well represented with anime director Kobun Shizuno. They'll be lots of gaming goodness too, plus things like Japanese clothes, and music.

Read More... | Souce: Hyper Japan

Convention Season - A Quick Reminder About Pirate Goods

Date: 2015 May 16 10:34 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Retail

With convention season kicking off it's time for us to issue our regular reminder to everyone to keep an eye out for pirate goods. Do you know if the event you are going to has a pirate goods policy? Do you know how to spot and avoid pirate goods? We find that pirate goods are still present at some events. If you haven't already, please read the Pirate Anime FAQ and learn how to avoid dodgy merchandise.

Souce: The Pirate Anime FAQ

The Secret World of Comiket on NHK World

Date: 2015 April 17 15:55 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime > TV

Fans of anime and manga will want to tune into NHK World this weekend (what do you mean you don't constantly watch it like a good otaku should?). As they'll be showing a documentary on The Secret World of Comiket. If you're curious to know more about the convention and what goes on it should be worth watching.

"This program offers an inside look at the seemingly familiar yet hidden world of Comiket. How does Comiket continue to attract more than half a million people every year?"

The show will be broadcast several times this weekend (all times in UTC).
Friday 17th April 2015:
23:10
Saturday 18th April 2015:
5:10, 10:10, 17:10

NHK World is available in the UK on the following
Sky Channel 507
Freestat Channel 209
Virgin Media Channel 625

It's also widely available around the world, so could be available in your region.

The Story Behind Toyota UK's Manga Inspired Adventure

Date: 2014 November 25 17:01 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Features

Toyota UK have decided to do something a bit interesting with their Japanese roots. At the October 2014 MCM London Comic Toyota revealed a new manga styled adventure to launch their new Aygo.

Specially commissioned by UK based artist Sonia Leong to create the manga. Toyota also commissioned an animated version of the comic too.

We caught up with Nik Pearson (Manager, Press Relations) at Toyota to talk about the campaign. We were lucky enough to get an exclusive interview about the project.

Thanks again for your time Nik. It's always interesting to see how production of manga based marketing campaigns work.

Read More... | Souce: Otaku News

NEO Magazine Is 10 Years Old

Date: 2014 November 07 16:03 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Press Releases

Ten years ago a new UK anime and manga magazine appeared on the scene. Ten years later that magazine is still going strong. Neo Magazine are celebrating this with the launch of issue 130 which is on sale now. They've got a lot of prizes to give away this month too.

10 years ago we posted about NEO Magazine's launch, and more recently their 100th issue.

Hyper Japan Christmas Market 2014 Details - Reminder

Date: 2014 October 29 17:44 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

Are you looking for Christmas Japanese Culture fun in London? Well Hyper Japan have got something for you! on Friday 14th to Sunday 16th November 2014 they'll be running the Hyper Japan Christmas Market at National Hall, Olympia, London.

Read More... | Souce: Hyper Japan

VIZ Manga digital editions available for purchase in UK/ROI?

Date: 2014 October 29 00:04 | Posted By: Eeeper

Category > Manga

Incoming reports that VIZ Manga digital editions now available to purchase in AUS/NZ/ROI/UK NOTE: No official word from VIZ

Read More... | Souce: Otaku News

A Brief History of Manga Talk in London November 2014

Date: 2014 October 14 15:16 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

Manga fans wanting to know more about the history of sequential art will be pleased to hear about Helen McCarthy's A Brief History of Manga Talk. Helen McCarthy has written and co-written many books on anime and manga. She's London's resident anime and manga expert. She also edited the first UK Anime Magazine - Anime UK.

The talk is set to run in London at the Cartoon Museum from 6:30pm to 7:30pm on Tuesday 4th November 2014. The event is free, but as always we advise booking to avoid disappointment.

Please e-mail shop@cartoonmuseum.org or call 0207 580 8155 to book a ticket.

Ticket holders can also visit the Gekiga Exhibition for a special price of £2. We've covered the exhibition before here. It's a rare chance to see a great range of alternative manga. It's not every day you get to see such great artwork.

Yen Press NYCC licence roundup

Date: 2014 October 11 10:07 | Posted By: Eeeper

Category > Manga

Yen Press announce their 2014/2015 licences at New York Comic Con.

Junko Mizuno at the London Comica Festival 2014

Date: 2014 October 08 15:50 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Art

London based manga fans will be very excited to hear about a talk hosted manga artist Junko Mizuno. She'll be in London giving an exclusive talk for Comica Festival at popular bookshop Foyles at Charing Cross Road on Wednesday 22nd October 2014. Arrive at 6.30pm for 7.00-8.30pm. Tickets cost £8. As always we suggest booking as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

There will also be the first ever selling exhibition of her originals, prints and other items in London. Which will run at Atomica Gallery, 29 Shorts Gardens, London WC2H 9AP from October 20th to 28th as part of Comica Festival. With thanks to GB Sasakawa Foundation, Brewery Arts Centre Kendal, and Lakes International Comic Art Festival from Friday 17th to Sunday 19th October 2014.

Gekiga: Alternative Manga Exhibition in London

Date: 2014 September 16 16:27 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

London based readers looking to discover a different side of manga will be very interested to hear about the Gekiga: Alternative Manga From Japan. This will run at Cartoon Museum on Little Russell Street (which is near the British Museum). It's set to run from Tuesday 23rd September to Saturday 29th November 2014.

It's not every day you get a chance to see manga like this on exhibition, so go and visit it while it's on!

The Japan Foundation will also be hosting a talk on Gekiga in London on Thursday 25th September 2014 (we've had this on the Otaku Calendar for a while).

Thanks to the good folks at The Japanese Gallery for telling us about the exhibition.

Bryan Lee O'Malley Seconds UK Book Signing Details

Date: 2014 July 29 15:14 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

UK based fans of Scott Pilgrim will be very pleased to hear about Bryan Lee O'Malley's new book Seconds. To celebrate it's launch Bryan will be in the UK for some book signings at Gosh! Comics in London on Thursday 14th August 2014, The British Library in London on Friday 15th 2014, plus Forbidden Planet in Edinburgh on Sunday 17th August 2014.

We've already updated the Otaku Calendar with these details.

Update: More details the signings have been announced including, Leeds, Manchester and Dublin.

If you can't make it to the signings, you can always pre-order Seconds from Amazon.co.uk.

Souce: Raidomaru.com - Bryan Lee O\'Malley\'s Website

Manga Jiman 2014 Competition Details

Date: 2014 July 12 15:06 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Art

UK based artists should get drawing as the Embassy of Japan in the UK have just announced details of the 2014 Manga Jiman competition. The manga competition is now in it's 8th year. The theme this time around is "ichi-go ichi-e", which can be translated as "once-in-a-lifetime meeting" or "a chance encounter".

We've covered previous Manga Jiman competitions before. The top prize this year is 2 return tickets to Japan, second prize is a laptop, and third a rather nifty digital camera.

They've also got an interesting category for 11 to 13 year olds, Yonkoma Manga covering 4 panels.

Hyper Japan Event Details - July 2014

Date: 2014 July 03 15:28 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

UK based fans of Japanese culture including anime, manga, food, J-Pop, cosplay and more traditional things will want to head to London on Friday 25th to Sunday 27th July 2014 for Hyper Japan.

The annual J-culture event returns promising to be it's biggest Hyper Japan yet.

It'll have all sorts of fun things to see and do. Including a game and anime park, fringe market, a section of pure kawaii, plus much more!

Read More... | Souce: Hyper Japan

Artist talk: Seiichi Hayashi in conversation with Ryan Holmberg in London July 2014

Date: 2014 June 15 13:30 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

The good folks from The Japan Foundation in London have got in touch to tell us about an up coming event that'll be of interest to manga fans. They'll be hosting Artist talk: Seiichi Hayashi in conversation with Ryan Holmberg on Tuesday 1st July 2014 from 6:30pm at their London Office.

Seiichi Hayashi is know for his highly regarded alternative manga. If you think manga is all shonen and want to expand your horizons. There is so much to manga and different forms of sequential art.

The talk is free to attend but booking is essential. To book e-mail event@jpf.org.uk

Hyper Japan 2014 Event Details

Date: 2014 April 17 17:07 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

UK based fans of Japanese culture will be excited to hear about the return of Hyper Japan. The popular event which celebrates everything J-Culture related, including Japanese street fashion, cosplay, anime, manga, Japanese cuisine and of course the more traditional side of Japanese culture is back at London's Earl's Court One.

The event is set to run from Friday 25th July to Sunday 27th July 2014.

Read More... | Souce: Hyper Japan

1952-2012 : Stories of Modern Manga Kickstarter Campaign

Date: 2014 April 14 15:34 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good people from Project 6060 have sent us news of their Kickstarter Campaign for Stories of Modern Manga (1952-2012). The title of the book is self explanatory, with each double page spread tackling a year in the history of manga.

They aim to make the book as accessible as possible, it sounds like a great coffee table book, something you can just pick up and dip into.

The campaign aims to to raise $18K (USD) to publish the book. At the time of writing they've currently raised $3,693. However it's still early days and we know it's the last few hours that really count for a Kickstarter campaign.

First MCM Ireland Comic Con Details - April 2014

Date: 2014 April 03 15:30 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

Irish Anime fans in Dublin are in for a treat on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th April 2014 as that's when the first ever MCM Ireland Comic Con is set to run at Dublin's RDS.

The event regularly attracts huge crowds around the UK and this April it's Dublin debut marks it's first time in Ireland. Anime fans will be well catered for with two top voice actors - Maile Flanagan, the voice of Naruto, and Bryce Papenbrook, who plays Eren Yeager in Attack On Titan. Plus lots of cosplay goodness including a masquerade.

The Embassy of Japan Announce Manga Jiman 2013 Winners

Date: 2014 April 02 16:03 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Art

The Embassy of Japan in London announced on Friday 21st March 2014 the winners of the prestigious Manga Jiman Art Competition. 10 winners were selected for the main category, winning prizes ranging from gift vouchers to a return flight to Japan.

1st place winner is Katja Hammond with Oh Crumbs! This was her third time entering the competition. Having read her submission, it's clear that this was something special, it could have been easily published and enjoyed as a children's book. She joined with other artists to form the Cross#atch Manga and Comics collective.

2nd place winner is Rachel Dunn with her story The Apocalypse and Key, an imaginative sci-fi tale of a pub that forms a hub to other dimensions.

3rd place winner was Selina Dean with her story A Beautiful World, a tale of travel water and romance. Readers familiar to the UK fan scene will know her from her work at Sweatdrop Studios.

Megan Brennan-Dent deserves a special mention, she won the prize for the most impressive Manga by an entrant aged between fourteen and sixteen. She also won 6th place overall, competing against everyone! This has not happened before at the Manga Jiman. Megan is indeed an up and coming talent and one to watch.

Plastic Blue a LGBT Yuri tale continues the return of GEN Manga monthly

Date: 2014 February 04 16:39 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

Indie Manga publishers GEN Manga have sent us details of their newest releases. Plus an all new season of their manga collection has just launched. All their titles are available to download from their website and are DRM free.

GEN Manga returns with Let's Eat Ramen 3

Date: 2014 January 06 16:15 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from GEN Manga have sent us details of their latest release. They're back with volume 3 of Let's Eat Ramen. Their GEN Manga monthly indie manga has also returned.

We caught up with GEN Manga a few years ago to hear their thoughts on seinen and indie manga.

Looking back over 2013 with Otaku News

Date: 2013 December 31 11:39 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Current Affairs

We don't normally do retrospective articles like this, but we thought it would be interesting to look back over the year that was 2013. February 2014 will mark 10 years of Otaku News. The last 12 months we've managed to cover a lot of interesting things and it'll be fun to go over all the events we were able to bring you in 2013.

Read More... | Souce: Otaku News

London Anime and Manga Shopping Guide Updated

Date: 2013 December 03 17:17 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Retail

From the feedback we've been getting a fair few of our readers are planning on heading into London over Christmas. With this in mind we've just updated the London Anime and Manga Shopping Guide with details of updated shops. We hope this will you help you get a bit of real world otaku retail therapy!

Regardless of where you do go shopping, we always suggest some caution. There are some retailers around that are less than honest and will sell pirate goods. To help you avoid getting ripped off we suggest you read the Pirate Anime FAQ.

Souce: Otaku News