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Manga Mavericks LLC Launches Manga Publishing Division Manga Mavericks Books

Date: 2025 April 26 10:32 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from Manga Mavericks have sent us details of their latest endeavour. They've established Manga Mavericks Books a new manga publisher that will work directly with Japanese creators to license, localize, and distribute their stories worldwide.

They intend to launch 6 manga titles this July 2025, which include 3 titles directly licensed by Manga Mavericks LLC, as well as 3 titles licensed by our localization partner Red String.

It's always exciting to see new manga publishers spring up and we hope that they start to gain some traction.

The 18th Manga Jiman & Yonkoma Competition Exhibition in London

Date: 2025 April 19 19:18 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

The good folks from the Embassy of Japan in the UK have sent us a reminder that you can visit their Embassy to see the winners of the Manga Jiman Competition. The exhibition will run until Friday 16th May 2025. Entrance is free, but booking in advance is required.

They've also sent a reminder that you can ender the 19th Japan International MANGA Award, which is open to creators around the world and you can apply through the Embassy in London.

Detectives These Days Are Crazy! Manga Release Details

Date: 2025 April 09 17:58 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good people from manga publishers One Peace Books have just sent us the details for their latest release - Detectives These Days Are Crazy! (Mattaku Saikin no Tantei to Kitara). It follows the adventures of the unlikely duo of an old school detective Keiichiro Nagumo who is all washed up and hasn't kept up with the times, he teams up with a high school girl called Mashiro who wants to be his assistant. Volume 1 will be released on Monday 28th April 2025.

An anime adaptation is due out later in 2025.

Read More... | Souce: One Peace Books

Mushishi Collector's Edition Volume 1 Now Available for Pre-Order

Date: 2025 March 31 20:08 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

Kodansha USA have announced that Volume 1 of Yuki Urushibara's Mushishi manga is now available for pre-order from all good book retailers. The fantasy manga will be released in a hardcover omnibus edition which includes Japanese Volumes 1 and 2. It also features a completely original translation and new cover designs. It'll be released on 4th November 2025. It'll retail at $29.99 (USD). ISBN 9798888776346.

The Mushishi manga was originally published in English by Del Rey between 2007 and 2010. The manga has long been out of print and as a result became desirable for manga collecting fans. This in turn inflated the price, with a complete collection of the manga being listed for over $1,000 for the whole 10 volume set. It often featured in top 10 lists of most expensive out of print manga titles. Although physical copies of the manga were unavailable, you can still purchase digital editions legally from eBook stores such as Amazon's Kindle store.

There's also a truly excellent anime adaptation (which in turn created interest for the manga), which is currently on Crunchyroll.

It's set in old world Japan, some time between the Edo and Meiji periods, in a world where mushi fungal like spirits manifest with supernatural powers. Sometimes they can curse those who encounter them, other times they can benefit them. The story follows the adventures of Ginko, a travelling Mushi master (almost like a medicine man), who will go from village to village and help the locals or investigate issues around mushi. It's a laid back series, with some horror elements in (especially for those who don't take Ginko's advice). It's a thoroughly enjoyable series and worth your time.

You can pre-order the manga from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk or at any other good book seller.

Square Enix Manga & Books Team Up With Penguin Random House to Launch Comic Partner Initiative

Date: 2025 March 22 11:25 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from Square Enix Manga and Books have sent us details of their collaboration with Penguin Random House on the Comic Partner Initiative. It's aim is to help comic shops to increase manga awareness.

Enrolled comic shops can receive branded promotional materials, educational Support, advanced copies of select manga and more.

We think it's great to see Square Enix Manga and Books and Penguin Random House take the initiative like this and proactively aim to increase manga sales in comic book shops. We've all encountered a particular kind of comic book shop that stocks manga, it's in that corner, and no one goes there, the staff don't really understand it, but people ask about it, so they feel obligated to stock it, then as a manga fan you look and it's an odd patchwork of titles that aren't really curated. We hope that this initiative fixes the issue of the dusty manga corner and helps manga fans and comic book shops alike.

You Talk Too Much, So Just Shut It Already! Volume 1 Manga Release Details

Date: 2025 March 12 20:58 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from One Peace Books have set us details of a just released title. You Talk Too Much, So Just Shut It Already! Volume 1 was released on March 4th 2025, it tells the story of transfer student Tsukino Hiiragi, she terrified about starting at her new school as she's deaf. The trouble is Hiiragi has the help from the over enthusiastic Enomoto who talks too fast and is a bit over confident with his sign language.

This is light hearted school life comedy is written by Shunpei Morita, illustrated by Aldehyde, and translated by Jordan Taylor. You can order it from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and all good bookshops now.

Read More... | Souce: One Peace Books

How to be a Manga Artist Signing With Fumio Obata and Balthazar Pagani at Gosh! Comics in London

Date: 2025 March 03 21:05 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

Gosh! Comics in London have announced that they'll be hosting How to be a Manga Artist Signing With Fumio Obata and Balthazar Pagani on Saturday 8th March 2025, from 1-2pm at their Berwick Street store in Soho.

The book by Balthazar Pagani and Asuka Ozumi features a specially commissioned chapter by manga artist Fumio Obata. You can pre-order a signed copy of the book for mail-order or collection. What better way to spend a Saturday in Central London and enjoy a book signing?If you're unfamiliar with the anime and manga shops around London, then please do check out our London Anime and Manga Shopping Guide, which we frequently update with new and interesting shops.

Hyper Japan Festival 2025 Details

Date: 2025 February 26 20:34 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

The good folks from Japanese Cultural Festival Hyper Japan have just sent us details for their next London event. They'll be running from Friday 18th to Sunday 20th July 2025 at Olympia Events.

Headliners this time around include alternative rock band Hitsujibungaku. You may have heard their song more than words which used in the second season of the anime adaptation of Jujutsu Kaisen, their song Hikaru Toki can also be heard as the opening theme in The Heike Story, plus they've got a great cover of Life's a Treat - Shaun the Sheep opening theme.

They'll also have the usual selection of Japanese culture, including performances, workshops, food and Japanese themed retailers

Tickets are on sale now. You can visit hyperjapan.co.uk/festival for more details and to purchase tickets.

Kindle Scribe as a Manga Reader Review

Date: 2025 January 26 18:20 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Features

There's nothing we here at Otaku News like better when the days are short and the weather is cold than to curl up on the sofa with the latest manga releases. Although we love the experience that you can only get reading on paper, we have been on a quest for many years to find a digital alternative for those times when it is just more convenient.

The Revenge of My Youth: Re Life With an Angelic Girl Manga Release Details

Date: 2025 January 08 20:52 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from One Peace Books have just sent us details for an up coming manga The Revenge of My Youth: Re Life With an Angelic Girl. This manga focuses on the popular anime and manga theme of the do-over. It tackles the theme of if you had another chance, what would you do differently?

It's pitched as a "tearjerker, hilarious school life parody, and motivational tour de force all at once". The manga adaptationis illustrated by Boiru Iseebi and based on the light novel by Yuzi Keino, with translation by Jamie Taber.

It's due out for release on 23rd January 2025.

Read More... | Souce: One Peace Books

The Legend of Kamui: Volume One Manga Release Details

Date: 2024 December 07 18:02 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

Publishers Drawn & Quarterly have sent us the release details for The Legend of Kamui: Volume One. Due out in January 2025, the classic and highly influential manga will be available in English. Originally serialized between 1964 and 1971 in the alt-manga magazine GARO, The Legend of Kamui is translated by social historian and decorated academic Richard Rubinger with Noriko Rubinger. Additional translation by Alexa Frank.

Drawn & Quarterly always publish interesting manga and have a nice selection of classic gekiga titles.

Square Enix Launches Web Version of Manga UP!

Date: 2024 December 02 20:39 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from Square Enix have just sent us details about their Manga UP! Platform. It''s available world wide (excluding Japan) and now it has expanded to include a web version at https://global.manga-up.com/.

Originally Square Enix's digital manga was only available via iOS App or Android App, now it's also a website it means you can access the content on your computer or other web enabled device.

Kodansha Launches Official App K Manga in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore

Date: 2024 October 21 17:11 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from publishing giants Kodansha have just sent us details about the expansion of their digital manga app K Manga. The service is going to expand to in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. To celebrate they'll be offering 50% of select manga titles including Attack on Titan, Fairy Tail, Wistoria: Wand and Sword, Wind Breaker and Rent-a-Girlfriend.

The service is not yet available in the UK or Ireland. As of yet we haven't heard any official word from Kodansha about if or when it will be available for the UK and Ireland but we can always hope it gets rolled out.

Nukozuke! by Yugi Iro Manga Release Details

Date: 2024 September 07 10:40 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from One Peace Books have just sent us details for an up coming manga Nukozuke! by Yugi Iro. It's pitched as slow-life comedy manga with a twist. Set in a world where nuko exist, they are pocket sized cat humans. Part-timer Yuya adopts two of them and it turns out that Yuya is more cat like than the nukos and they have to also look after Yuya.

It's marketed a sweet pick me up set to appeal to cat and manga lovers everywhere.

Read More... | Souce: One Peace Books

Hero Without a Class: Who Even Needs Skills?! Manga Release Details

Date: 2024 August 21 18:58 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from One Peace Books have just sent us details for an up coming manga Hero Without a Class: Who Even Needs Skills?!. Manga by Akio Nanae, with the original story by Shicio Kuzu & Yumehito Ueda. This fantasy story tells the tale of a world where everyone gets a class at the age of 10, our hero Arel doesn't get one, so he has to become a new type of hero.

The manga is due out on Sept. 17th 2024.

Read More... | Souce: One Peace Books

My Hero Academia - World Best Hero - Global Character Popularity Poll

Date: 2024 August 06 19:57 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

The good folks from Japanese publishing giants Shueisha Inc have sent us details about My Hero Academia - World Best Hero - Global Character Popularity Poll. It's been set up to celebrate author Kohei Horikoshi's internationally acclaimed manga series, My Hero Academia reaching its grand finale after 10 years.

To also celebrate they'll be running a fan art contest on Twitter (the site currently called X). Shueisha Inc have also placed an advert in the New York Times to highlight the end of My Hero Academia and the poll with a message from Kohei Horikoshi.

Human Versus Machine Japanese Translation Mini Battle

Date: 2024 May 09 20:06 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The manga tech start up Orange Inc recently raised over 19 million USD in funding for machine translated manga. We were quite intrigued because machine translation hasn't always worked out in the past for manga titles. One recent example was the Ranking of Kings Manga that had to be pulled because the quality of the translations were so poor. What's worse was the lack of quality control from everyone involved in the publishing of the title.

As we were curious, we reached out to some professional translators to ask their opinions on the current state of translation.

Manga Tech Startup Orange, Inc. Raises JPY 2.9B (USD 19.5M) in Pre-Series A Financing

Date: 2024 May 09 20:06 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The people from manga tech start up Orange, Inc have sent us details about their latest fundraising. They've managed to get JPY 2.92 billion (approximately USD 19.5 million* ) fundraising in pre-series A financing.

The company pitches itself as a a manga localization technology company that uses deep learning models to translate manga. In a web comic they explain how it's not cost effective to get humans to translate the bulk of manga published in Japanese. As a result they claim less than 2% of Japanese manga has been translated.

The pitch also says they'll have skilled translators polish the output, while in reality, for a translator it's actually easier to translate directly than to tidy up machine translated text.

Machine translation does have it's place. It's frequently (and successfully) used to translate text with a consistent context, such as instruction manuals and technical documents. This text is often very dry, but also very limited in scope with fixed and repeated text. Once a human has corrected it the machine model can then use the preferred translation for that expression again and again, which makes sense in an instruction manual.

Manga however is a creative endeavour and as a result the translations have a very wide scope. Translators have to be creative, who is speaking? What's their background? What mood are they in? What's the context of what they're saying? Is it a pun? Are they speaking formally? Do they have a regional accent? This and many other factors have to be taken into account words don't always have a one to one mapping, as context and intent makes manga translation an art form unto itself.

We're reminded In an industry where companies are trying to lower translation costs at the expense of translators wages, it can make it difficult to earn money as a freelance translator when companies are trying to race to the bottom.

We're thinking if you gave the Otaku News Team 2.92 billion JPY, we wouldn't publish as much manga as Orange Inc are intending to, but we'd pay our translators, letters and other production staff a decent wage. So if any companies looking to send us almost 19.5M USD to publish, then please do get in touch. We've got a list of manga we'd like to license and translate!

On a more serious note, we reached out to a few professional translators to ask their opinion on the Orange Inc News and machine translation in general. We also got them to do a translation mini battle.

The 17th Manga Jiman Competition Results

Date: 2024 March 30 11:25 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

The Embassy of Japan in the UK revealed the winners of The 17th Manga Jiman Competition. The awards ceremony for the prestigious competition was held at the Japanese Embassy in London on Friday 22th March 2024.

This years first place went to Edward Taylor for St. Jerome 2.0, while Louis Hey won second place for My Mom. Third place went to Rachel Yelding with Stay Forward.

If you're in London, you can also book a free visit to the Embassy to see the winners exhibition until the end of April 2024.

Akira Toriyama Manga Legend and Creator of Dragon Ball Dies at 68

Date: 2024 March 08 07:34 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Current Affairs

It's been announced today on X (the site formally known as Twitter) and on the official Dragon Ball site that Akira Toriyama passed away on 1st March 2024 due to acute subdural hematoma. He was 68 years old.

It's a massive understatement to call Toriyama a legend, the popularity and influence of the Dragon Ball Series by itself is huge. He's also had success with other projects including the artwork and character design for video games Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger. The up coming game based on his work Sand Land is due to be released on multiple formats this April too.

You can read the official statement from the Dragon Ball Official Website, BBC News, The Guardian also pretty much every news outlet has an obituary of some kind.

Akira Toriyama work was iconic and his passing will surprise many fans around the world. As news of his death spreads around internet many industry professionals are posting condolences and also admit that it's because of him they first got into manga and anime in the first place.

Souce: Dragon Ball Offical

Tales of the Tendo Family Manga Release Details

Date: 2024 February 27 20:57 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from One Peace Books have just sent us details for an up coming manga Tales of the Tendo Family. Created by Ken Saito the historical-romance shojo is due out on April 9th 2024.

Set in the Meiji Period it tells the story of a girl who poses as the beautiful young noble Hojo Ran, who in turn is seeking to escape a marriage into the notoriously bloody Tendo family. Our hero gets pulled into the twisted world of the Tendo family.

Ken Saito is a mangaka best known for the heartwarming series The Name of the Flower. Tales of the Tendo Family will be translated by Matt Schley (Multi-Mind Mayhem, NHK, Netflix). The series will be released every 3-4 months.

Read More... | Souce: One Peace Books

Square Enix Manga Release Their First Humble Bundle

Date: 2023 December 18 20:38 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from Square Enix Manga and Books have just released their first Humble Bundle Package.

The bundle is available to readers worldwide until Saturday 6th January 2024. The pay what you want bundle is divided into tiers of 4 items, 12 items or all 28 titles depending on how much you're willing to spend.

Titles include e books 1-3 of the popular A Man and His Cat and My Dress-Up Darling, along with guilty pleasures such as The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated. This a great way to sample a load of manga at a heavy discount as it would normally cost $271 USD to buy these separately. Square Enix Manga and Books have also partnered with Binc Foundation a nonprofit helping the employees and owners of bookstores and comic shops with unforeseen emergency financial, medical and mental health service need. Each purchase from the bundle will go towards the foundation. At the time of writing they've already raised over $2,200 USD for the cause.

UK readers should note that Humble Bundle is available in the UK in GBP too, so you won't get any pesky foreign currency charges if you purchase ebooks from there.

You can visit the Humble Bundle page to find out more.

United Publications to Exit Anime and Manga Retail Market

Date: 2023 December 06 19:29 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Retail

The goods folks from retailers United Publications have sent us news that they're to retire from the anime and manga retail market.

The UK based retailers and publishers were a regular fixture at UK anime conventions, they also had a presence at the MCM London Comic Con. You may remember them for their bold yellow banners with black text similar to a warning sign. They were a popular source of import anime DVDs and later blu-rays, but also had a big selection of manga and figures.

Anime fans of a certain generation will remember them fondly from the London Anime Club (which ran until 2008) as one of the main two retailers there. Fans would places orders to collect at the club and discover new titles over the dealers table and enthusiastically trade recommendations.

However change and reconciliation in the market has made anime and manga retail impractical for them and they've slowly started to wind down that side of the business.

We're told you should check their website for bargains, as MVM has given them some nice discounts on all titles as they reduce stock for the new year.

Crunchyroll and Bershka launch a Junji Ito Clothing Collection for Halloween

Date: 2023 October 26 20:04 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Retail

The good folks from anime streaming giants Crunchyroll have just got in touch to tell us about their latest collaboration with Bershka to launch a Junji Ito Collection Capsule just in time for Halloween. The renowned manga artist is famed for his monochrome horror, especially around spirals, seemingly beautiful ladies and odd balls school boys who are obsessed with metal nails.

The macabre range is available online and in select Bershka stores from 28th October 2023. They've got an horrific range of shirts, jumpers, a hoody and other street fashion. There's some fun accessories too including a great crossbody bag, and a beanie hat. However the press release doesn't state the greatest bit of official merchandise yet. Junji Ito branded socks. You heard it. This isn't a typo, licensed socks from the master of manga horror. So you can wear them to work and go unnoticed or even better, gift them to someone as socks are always an excellent gift.

It Takes Two Tomorrow, Too Manga Release Details

Date: 2023 September 09 12:39 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from One Peace Books have just sent us details for an up coming manga It Takes Two Tomorrow, Too. Created by Suzuyuki the slice of life manga is due out on October 17th 2023. It's being pitched as a as warm and crumbly as a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. After a year of dating office employees Yuya and Rio move in together. The manga chronicles their new life together.

The manga originally went viral on Twitter. It's being translated by Emily Balistrieri (Tatami Galaxy, I Belong to the Baddest Girl at School).

Read More... | Souce: One Peace Books

Manga Jiman 2023 Competition Details

Date: 2023 September 01 12:59 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks at the Embassy of Japan in the UK have just revealed the details for the 17th Manga Jiman Competition. The annual competition is a chance for UK based artists to demonstrate their manga making skills. Not only that, but there's a great selection of prizes to be won from the competitions sponsors.

Here's a tip. If you do really want to win. Consider entering in the Yonkoma category (Yonoma Youth - 11, 12 or 13 or Yonkoma 14+). There are normally very few entrants for the often overlooked four panel manga section. Even the judges last year were strongly suggesting more people enter in yonkoma.

Digital Manga Subscription Service Azuki adds One Peace Books Titles to Service

Date: 2023 August 10 19:34 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from digital manga subscription service Azuki have sent news that they've partnered up with manga publishers One Peace Books to offer a range of their titles to Azuki subscribers.

Titles include Tenken, Breathe Deeply , Ms. Itsuya, King's Game, Suzuki Just Wants a Quiet Life and many more.
We reviewed Breathe Deeply when it was first published in English over 10 years ago, it's an interesting title as you don't often get semi-futuristic medical drama manga!

Azuki offers a free with advertisements service or premium and access the full catalogue for $4.99 (USD) a month.

Read More... | Souce: Azuki

Parallel World Pharmacy Competition

Date: 2023 June 22 19:50 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Websites

The good folks from manga publishers One Peace Books have just sent us details of a little competition they're running. If you can write a mini review of their new title Parallel World Pharmacy, and post it on Twitter of Facebook tagged with #ParallelWorldPharmacy, you'll have the chance to win a signed illustration by the manga artist Sei Takano featuring the manga's star characters.

Competition closes June 26 2023 11:59 EST. Note that the competition is open to the US only. It's not everyday you get a chance to win original manga artwork! So we suggest you enter if you can!

Parallel World Pharmacy: The Manga Release Details

Date: 2023 April 30 18:32 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from One Peace Books have just sent us details for an up coming title manga Parallel World Pharmacy. Due out on May 30th 2023 this manga title also has an anime adaptation, along with the original light novel version.

This isekai story tells the story of an overworked pharmaceuticals researcher, who literally works himself to death and then awakens in a mediaeval type world. Our hero then uses his modern pharmaceutical knowledge to make his found home a better place. The manga features art by Sei Takano and translation by Kristi Iwashiro.

Read More... | Souce: One Peace Books

The 16th Manga Jiman Competition Results

Date: 2023 April 01 10:36 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The Embassy of Japan in the UK revealed the winners of The 16th Manga Jiman Competition. The awards ceremony for the prestigious competition was held at the Japanese Embassy in London on Friday 24th March 2023.

This years first place went to C M Kevin Li for Jonathan in Agony!, while Ewan Gallagher took second place withAUX. Third place went to Alex Brennan-Dent with Signal.

Kodansha Announces New US Digital Manga Service

Date: 2023 March 21 19:56 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from publishing giant Kodansha have sent us details of their new US digital manga service. Called K Manga the service promises to deliver about 400 titles including 70 on going titles.

Kodansha are known for publish manga mega hits Attack on Titan, Ghost in The Shell, Tokyo Revengers and Fairy Tail, amongst other titles including Blue Lock and Rent-A-Girlfriend.

The service has a teaser version up now. The official is app scheduled for launch on Wednesday 10th May 2023. The service will be US only. Full website launch is to be announced.

Details of the pricing and exact model their using is yet to be revealed. So it's not clear if they'll go for a set monthly / yearly subscription charge or if you'll have to pay per title or buy some kind of token, or even how much K Manga will cost.

We're excited about this service even though it is US only, as it's always good to have more official digital manga options.
However the first thing we're drawn to is the name. K Manga. We know they've called it called K Manga for Kodansha Manga. Nevertheless in English speaking circles, when you prefix something with K you think of Korean things. We have K Pop, K Drama, K Rock, K Horror all parts of the K Wave. K Manga inspires thoughts of Korean Manga which is frequently called Manhwa. So already the brand is fighting an up hill battle to explain to consumers that no, this isn't a Korean service, it's all about Japanese Manga! We feel that they've not got any branding consultant involved or considered the impact this could have on the service. We've causally spoken to a few people about this and they all think K Manga sounds like a great Korean manga brand rather that a new digital manga platform.

Check out teaser.kmanga.kodansha.com to see what K Manga will have to offer!

Azuki to Publish Manga Titles as eBooks

Date: 2023 March 11 12:00 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from digital manga subscription service Azuki have sent news that two of their exclusive manga series will be published as eBooks on BookWalker, Amazon, Apple Books, and Google Play Books. They're going to start with My Dear Detective: Mitsuko's Case Files and Turning the Tables on the Seatmate Killer!. Both titles will are available for pre-order and will be released on March 23, 2023.

It's great to see Azuki branch out to digital publishing like this.

Read More... | Souce: Azuki

What's on NHK World?

Date: 2023 January 29 13:05 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime > TV

Being a fan of anime, manga and Japanese stuff in general it's always good to find a great source of content. Most fans will hunt on DVDs and blu-rays for those extra features, read magazines and articles and various bonus features included in books and so on. They'll even read websites like this one, but one resource that we find that is frequently overlooked is NHK World.

NHK is the national state broadcaster for Japan. NHK World is it's international arm. It's content is available in a selection of languages including either dubbed into English or in Japanese with English Subtitles. The service is free to access and is available on a wide range of satellite and cable providers in the US, UK and further afield. You can also watch it free and legally on the website or app that's offered on many platforms including iOS (iPhone and iPad), Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Roku and more. You can watch the live broadcast or the video on demand service.

A lot of the content there is excellent for anime and manga fans.

Azuki to Release New Shojo Comedy Manga I Fell for a Fujoshi

Date: 2023 January 21 13:20 | Posted By: Guest Contributor

Category > Anime

For those of you who read Shojo manga, a new title is on the horizon. Digital manga subscription service Azuki announced today that the romantic comedy manga I Fell For A Fujoshi by Toako has been exclusively licensed for worldwide release in English.

The first two chapters will be available on the Azuki app on Feb 7th 2023 but a free preview is now available.

The manga was originally published in Comic Elmo, which previously published The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting and Natsume & Natsume. The series is about a high school boy who confesses to his childhood crush. But after a misunderstanding foils his plan, he must pretend to be a fan of Boys Love manga in order to win her over.

The series will be available to read for free with advertisements but a $4.99 per month premium subscription that unlocks Azuki's entire catalog of more than 200 series is also available. If you're unsure of the price or content, readers the the option of trying out Azuki with a 14-day free trial.

If you're a fan of romance shenanigans, then it will be hard to pass on I Fell For A Fujoshi.

Reported by zanderlex

Read More... | Souce: Azuki

Jump Festa 2023 Live Stream Details

Date: 2022 December 12 20:15 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from Japanese publishing giants Shueisha Inc. have just sent us details of an on-line event. The yearly mega event Jump Festa 2023 will live stream for international fans. Set to run from 17th to 18th December 2022 the streaming weekend will cover content around Jump titles. The various events will have either available with English subtitles and simultaneous interpretation or just English subtitles. This is the first time the content of the Jump Festa will be streamed in English, so you'll get to see everything just like a fan in Japan too!

You can visit https://www.youtube.com/c/jumpchannel during that time to catch the content.

Captain Corinth: The Galactic Navy Officer Becomes an Adventure Manga Release Details and Translator Interview

Date: 2022 December 02 19:34 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

Manga publisher One Peace Books have sent us the details about an up coming release Captain Corinth: The Galactic Navy Officer Becomes an Adventurer. It's an isekai manga with a twist, the space captain Alan Corinth crashes into a world of swords and magic. The manga is based on the popular light novel series. The art for this manga by Tomomasa Takuma while translation is from Laura Egan.

Captain Corinth will be available on December 13th 2022. You can pre-order from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk and all good booksellers.

Read More... | Souce: One Peace Books

Yen Press Announces Two Dozen New Licenses

Date: 2022 November 21 20:02 | Posted By: Eeeper

Category > Anime

Manga publisher Yen Press announces at AnimeNYC their manga, light novels, manhwa line up, and more at industry panel.

Usotoki Rhetoric Manga Release Details and Translator Interview

Date: 2022 October 09 14:11 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good people from manga publishers One Peace Books have sent us details of their up coming manga Usotoki Rhetoric by Ritsu Miyako. This shojo manga stars the downtrodden 16-year-old Kanoko, exiled from her village for possessing a curious power - the ability to hear lies. She runs into handsome but down-on-his-luck detective Iwai Soma and together form an unexpected but dynamic duo, capable of solving the towns local mysteries. Set in the 1920's it's something a bit different and fun.

Along with the press release we were lucky enough to interview translator of the manga Molly Rabbitt.

Usotoki Rhetoric is out from October 13th 2022. You can pre-order it from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and all good booksellers.

Volume 2 is expected on the romantic February 14th 2023.

Read More... | Souce: One Peace Books

The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic Volume 1 Light Novel Release Details

Date: 2022 September 03 11:18 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good people from publishers One Peace Books have just sent us details of their latest isekai light novel The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic Volume 1. The story tells the tale of Usato an ordinary high schooler who happens to get summoned into another world when he's with two fellow students who are actually the target of the isekai summoning. Of course just by luck it turns out Usato is capable of using healing magic in this world which is ultra rare.

The book is available to buy as an eBook from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Read More... | Souce: One Peace Books

Square Enix Manga & Books Reveals New Books Coming Spring 2023

Date: 2022 July 24 14:13 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from Square Enix Manga & Books have sent us their upcoming release slate for spring 2023. Headlining their releases is the Chocobo and the Airship: A Final Fantasy Picture Book. The English translation has lots for fans of the series. Along with some nice looking NieR: stuff.

Square Enix will also be releasing My Clueless First Friend a slice of life comedy series with a chalk and cheese element of a gloomy friend and a cheerful friend having a fun and memorable summer together. It's due out March 7, 2023.

While from Hiromu Arakawa, the creator of Fullmetal Alchemis, we have Daemons of the Shadow Realm a fantasy adventure about n a world where certain humans command mighty supernatural duos called Daemons we follow young Yuru as he is unexpectedly whisked away from his village and becomes aware of his supernatural birthright. This is due out on April 25, 2023.

Murasaki Yamada's Talk to My Back Manga Release Details

Date: 2022 July 12 19:57 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from publisher Drawn & Quarterly have sent us details about their latest release. Yamada Murasaki's Talk to My Back is pitched as a celebrated masterwork shimmering with vulnerability from one of alt-manga's most important female artists. We're looking forward to reading this one as Drawn & Quarterly always publish interesting manga titles.

The book is out now from all good booksellers. ISBN : 9781770465633

You can also order it from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Azuki to Release Idol Manga Hikaru in the Light!

Date: 2022 May 30 19:53 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from on-line manga service Azuki have sent us news of their latest manga acquisition Hikaru in the Light! by Mai Matsuda. The exclusive license is a story about pop idols and chasing your dreams. If you're curious about the title you can read a preview on Azuki.

The service costs $4.99 (USD) per month, along with a 30-day free trial and a discounted annual plan are also available. All titles on the service are available worldwide (expect for Japan) in English.

Read More... | Souce: Azuki

MangaPlaza - Online Digital US Manga Service

Date: 2022 March 01 20:18 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

We've got news from new online digital manga service MangaPlaza. The service offers nearly 50,000 manga Chapters from 2,000 titles including Attack on Titan, That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime, Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku and Obey Me! The Comic!

The web based service is currently US only. It's yet to offer an offline reading mode.

The service costs $6.99 (USD) per month for $0.45 to $3.99 you can purchase chapters individually without a subscription. Most titles also have a free chapter.

MangaPlaza is created by NTT Solmare Corp., a subsidiary Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation.

Cagaster and Crueler Than Dead Now Available on Azuki Manga

Date: 2022 February 26 19:13 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

We've received a press release from digital manga subscription service Azuki . They've just told us that they've added two new titles to their service. Cagaster is a story about a disease transforms its victims into cannibalistic insects and decimates human society. It follows bug hunter Kidow and his newfound friend Ilie who struggle to survive in this brutal new world. While Crueler Than Dead is about another virus which results in fast-paced and violent zombie action.

With Azuki it should be noted that their titles are available in English worldwide (apart from Japan). The first few chapters of most series are available for free with ads, and for $4.99 (USD) per month users can sign up for a Premium account and read the entire catalogue without ads. A 30-day free trial and a discounted annual plan are also available.

Read More... | Souce: Azuki

Miyazaki's Shuna's Journey get's an English Language Release

Date: 2022 February 22 20:36 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

It's just been announced that Hayao Miyazaki's Shuna's Journey will be getting an English language release. Alex Dudok de Wit revealed on Twitter that he is translating it. The 1983 graphic novel will be released by First Second Books on 1st November 2022.

Oscar winning anime director Hayao Miyazaki is best know for his feature films including Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service and Howl's Moving Castle.

Seven Seas licences Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou manga in omnibus form

Date: 2022 February 18 22:42 | Posted By: Eeeper

Category > Anime

Los Angeles-based publisher Seven Seas announces licensing of long sought-after manga, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, in multiple omnibus volumes.

E-mail Based Manga Service from Mangasplaining

Date: 2022 January 31 21:19 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks at popular manga podcast Mangasplaining have just sent us details of their latest endeavour, titled MSX: Mangasplaining Extra its an e-mail based manga subscription. The substack news letter will be delivered to your inbox.

The first projects to be announced are Okinawa by Susumu Higa and These Days by Taiyo Matsumoto. Interestingly the press release credits everyone involved in each manga project, this isn't the standard (but we wish it was). Keen eyed readers will also notice that These Days is translated Michael Arias the director behind the anime version of Tekkonkinkreet (which is based of the manga by Taiyo Matsumoto), so it's clear that the translator is very familiar with the artists work!

Mangasplaining have partnered with Fantagraphics Books and UDON Entertainment as publishing partners, so it's going to be interesting to see what else they've got in the pipeline.

Subscription to the service costs $5(USD) a month or $50 (USD) a year on Substack . Pricing has been set to be sustainable so they can pay the licensors, creators, publishers, translators, and letterers who do this work. There's been a lot of discussion in manga fandom about fair wages for staff involved in production and the Mangasplaining people are making sure everyone involved in the process gets paid fairly.

We're excited about this project as the people behind Mangasplaining are more than just manga and anime fans, they're manga and anime fans who work in the industry. They've got a track record of successfully delivering various projects. We're wondering what this will grow into!

Kotatsu Festival Online Events for January 2022

Date: 2022 January 06 20:35 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

The good folks at Kotatsu Festival have sent us some details of two upcoming events. The two online workshops aimed at beginners cover Japanese Calligraphy and a Japanese Manga Introductory Workshop.

Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival are hosting these workshops for free via Microsoft Teams. Although it is free prior registration is essential. So book early to avoid disappointment.

Japanese Calligraphy - Introductory Workshop for Beginners is run by Yukiko Ayres. It's set for Saturday 29th January 2022 from 11:00 to 12:00 GMT.

Japanese Manga Introductory Workshop for Beginners is run by Shangomola Edunjobi It's set for Sunday 30th January 2022 from 12:00 to 13:00 GMT.

I Belong to the Baddest Girl at School Manga Release Details

Date: 2021 July 26 19:49 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from manga publishers One Peace Books have just sent us details about their up coming release. I Belong to the Baddest Girl at School is a manga romcom of misunderstanding. It's Japanese title is Pashiri na Boku. Volume 1 is due out for release on 17th August 2021, the manga follows the mishaps of sensitive Unoki and Toramaru, the baddest girl boss in town.

You can pre-order the title from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and all good places that sell books.

Read More... | Souce: One Peace Books

Look Back - A One Shot Manga from the Creator of Chainsaw Man

Date: 2021 July 19 19:13 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

Out of nowhere Tatsuki Fujimoto the creator of Chainsaw Man has just released a special one-shot manga. Titled Look Back, the standalone manga tells the story of Fujino, a fourth grader who draws a manga strip for the school newspaper. Her art makes her the star of the class, but one day she's told that Kyomoto, a student who refuses to come to school, would also like to submit a manga for the paper.

The story is free to read legally in English from Viz Media via their Shonen Jump line. You can also read it (again in English) officially at Manga Plus by Shueisha. Or if you want to read the original Japanese version you can catch it on Shonen Jump Plus. If you do look at the Japanese version and compare it against the English translation look at the fantastic lettering work by Snir Aharon alongside Amanda Haley's translation.

It's a story about manga and it's creation, there are nods to Fujimoto's other works and perhaps other aspects of his life. Unlike Chainsaw Man it does not feature huge amounts of intense violence. The story is just over 140 pages, and you'll probably want to enjoy it in a single sitting. We really did enjoy it. It's a gripping story. We really do hope we can buy this in print one day.

Souce: Viz Media

Manga Jiman 2021 Launch Details

Date: 2021 July 18 15:50 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from the Embassy of Japan in the UK have just sent us details of the annual manga competition. The 15th Manga Jiman. The competition closes on 15th November 2021. This year around theme is light.

The Embassy of Japan has searched for the best comic creators in the UK since 2007. The search now continues with two competitions, Manga Jiman and Yonkoma, with the aim of providing a platform for aspiring comic artists.

Apart from being a great challenge and opportunity the competition always has a great selection of prizes from it's various generous sponsors. So if you have time and the urge to be an aspiring manga artist then check out the Manga Jiman website on how to enter.

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