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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.

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.

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

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

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.

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!

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

Azuki The New Digital Manga Service

Date: 2021 June 18 20:28 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

It's just been announced that from Monday 28th June 2021, a new legal digital manga service will be launched. Azuki, named after the red bean often used in sweet treats promises to be a new digital manga cafe. It'll be launched on Web, iOS, and Android.

The service will deliver hundreds of manga after they hit stores in Japan It will offer content for both free and subscription users. With free users able to access select chapters with ads, while pay monthly subscribers can pay $4.99 (USD) to read the catalogue without any ads.

The service will be available worldwide in English (excluding Japan). They've currently got a publishing partnership with Kodansha USA Publishing. Titles currently include Attack on Titan, Tokyo Revengers, Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, Chi's Sweet Home, Fairy Tail, Flying Witch, Gleipnir and many more.

At 5 dollars a month, the service pays for itself after reading the first volume. It promises high quality content and it's great to be able to officially support manga publishers this way. We're looking forward to trying out the service in a few weeks.

It's interesting how official manga subscription services are getting more competition. Viz Media has it's own Shonen Jump Manga & Comics app for $1.99 (USD) a month, which is a must if you want some Chainsaw Man or My Hero Academia. While similar competitor Mangamo has a similar partnership with Kodansha and also charges $4.99 (USD) a month.

While anime streaming service Crunchyroll also has it's own official manga service.

Read More... | Souce: Azuki

I Hear the Sunspot: Limit Volume 3 Manga Release Details

Date: 2021 March 11 20:59 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good people from One Peace Books have just sent us the release details I Hear the Sunspot: Limit Volume 3. The final volume of the manga is due out on 13th April 2021. The publishers promise us that "The moving love story between two young men, the hard-of-hearing Kohei and the eternally-optimistic Taichi, reaches a tear-jerking finale".

They also tell us it's "Praised for its nuanced representation of disability, and named a best graphic novel for teens in 2019 and 2020 by the American Library Association's YALSA division, I Hear the Sunspot: Limit showcases the protagonists' immense emotional growth while continuing its thoughtful exploration of disability representation and issues."

One Peace Book always publish an interesting range of manga, and this one is certainly worth adding to your reading list.

You can pre-order the book from all the usual places including Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, US Bookshop.org, UK Bookshop.org.

Read More... | Souce: One Peace Books

An Interview with Sara Linsley Manga Letterer

Date: 2020 December 14 20:51 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

Localising manga is more than just buying the rights and getting it translated, there's also sorts of factors to consider to bring it to market. While people often consider the translation there's another part of the localisation process to consider, the letterer! All the words you read on the page aren't just magically put into place, there's actually a lot of art and craft to lettering a manga page. So we thought we'd catch up with a manga letterer to find out more about the process.

Sara Linsley is a software developer and comic book letterer living in NYC, she has done lettering for manga including Sweat and Soap, Spoof on Titan, LDK and Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches. Recently she's also just released a font of her own intended for manga use! We thought we'd catch up with Sara over e-mail to find out how letterer can make or break a good localisation.

Mangamo Releases Android App

Date: 2020 November 26 20:58 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from manga subscription service Mangamo. They've just released their app on Android, so you can grab it from the Google Play Store. The app is already available iOS (iPhone and iPad) on the Apple App Store.

The app itself has a great collection of top tier manga titles including Attack On Titan, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Fire Force, In/Spectre and Fairy Tail. A subscription costs $4.99 USD a month and is a great way to read manga officially. The service is offering a 30-day free trial for new Android users and is also available globally for iOS and offering a 30-day free trial for new iOS users. So you can try before you buy.

Sony have also just invested in Mangamo via the Sony Innovation Fund. Sony have a large interest in the anime industry already owning 95% of Funimation, in turn also own Manga Entertainment in the UK and Madman Anime Group via Aniplex. So it looks like Sony is also expanding into manga distribution!

Farming Life in Another World Manga Release Details

Date: 2020 September 27 13:34 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from One Peace Books have sent us details of their latest manga acquisition - Farming Life in Another World. The isekai manga is pitched as guy gets transported to fantasy world, but instead of fighting monsters and villains he sets up a farm and gets involved in agriculture. It forms part of that isekai sub-genre of getting transported to another world and doing normal things (we're thinking of The Hero and His Elf Bride Open a Pizza Parlour in Another World, amongst others). This is the manga adaptation of the popular light novel of the same name by Kinosuke Naito.

Farming Life in Another World comes out on Wednesday October 28th 2020 in print and digital. You can pre-order it from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Read More... | Souce: One Peace Books

Yen Press Announces 13 New License Acquisitions

Date: 2020 August 18 19:41 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks at manga publishers Yen Press have just announced a fresh batch of licensing acquisitions. They've got the rights for 13 new titles in print and digital. Release dates are not yet detailed.

The releases include the following:

Cirque Du Freak: The Manga Omnibus Edition
Grim Reaper and Four Girlfriends Omnibus Edition
Interspecies Reviewers Comic Anthology: Darkness
The World's Finest Assasin Reincarnated Into Another World
Adachi and Shimamura
Dear NOMAN, Golden Japanesque - Yokohama Karentan -
Mama Akuma
Mint Chocolate
Sasaki and Miyano
The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess
The light novel and comic adaptation of the highly-anticipated, Solo Leveling.

The Sky is Blue with a Single Cloud Gekiga Manga Release Details

Date: 2020 July 15 20:09 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good people from Drawn & Quarterly have sent us details of their latest release The Sky is Blue with a Single Cloud by Kuniko Tsurita.

Available for the first time in English this book collects the best short stories from gekiga manga artist Kuniko Tsurita.

Tracking bohemian culture, the politics of late 60's and early 70's Tokyo, along with other experimental works and an early exploration of gender fluidity with gender ambiguous protagonists.

The manga is out from July 2020 (so it's out now).

You can order it from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk or any other bookseller using the ISBN: 978-1-77046-398-1.

New Sci-Fi Manga Japan Sinks 2020 Launches on Mangamo App

Date: 2020 July 09 20:30 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from Manga App Mangamo have just sent us details of their latest manga addition. The subscription service has just added the manga of Japan Sinks 2020. It's a reimagining of the Netflix anime which has just been released today, which in turn is based on the best-selling novel written by Sakyo Komatsu in 1973. The anime is from Science Saru, who did the fantastic Keep Your Hands off Eizouken, Lu Over The Wall, Devil Man Cry Baby, and so much more.

Yen Press Previews 13 New Manga Acquisitions For December 2020

Date: 2020 July 05 12:31 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

It's convention season and traditionally a time of big license announcements, but conventions aren't really running in the physical world, however Anime Expo Lite offered a virtual experience and the chance for companies to announce their up coming releases and acquisitions.

Yen Press have just announced 13 new manga acquisition, which include

A Witch's Love at the End of the World
Strawberry Fields Once Again
The Vampire & His Pleasant Companions
Slasher Maidens
Eniale & Dewiela
Mieruko-chan

Plus some new light novels:

The World's Finest Assassin
Reincarnated in a Different World as an Aristocrat
The Place Promised in Our Early Days
The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten
Unnamed Memory, King of the Labyrinth
Reign of the Seven Spellblades

We're very excited about Eniale & Dewiela from Kamome Shirahama who is also responsible for Witch Hat Atelier.

Mangamo The New Mobile Manga Subscription Service

Date: 2020 April 16 19:47 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

We've just been sent the details of a new mobile manga subscription service. Mangamo promises more titles than any other legal mobile manga service.

It's currently on iOS Devices (iPhone and iPad) with subscriptions costing $4.99 USD a month. The Tokyo based company has partnered with 11 publishers to bring the wide range of titles, including Attack on Titan, Battle Angel Alita, Somali and the Forest Spirit, along with Fire Force and many more titles. A full list of current titles can be found here. They also promise regular updates to the titles available.

Mangamo is available on the Apple App Store globally with the exception of Japan, China and Korea. Currently all titles are in English.

As this is a legal service you can be certain that the money goes back to the original creators helping fund the manga industry itself.

Yen Press Announces 7 New Manga Series & Light Novel Acquisitions for August 2020

Date: 2020 March 06 20:23 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from Yen Press (the manga publishers who are owned by Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group) have just announced their August 2020 licensing acquisitions. They've got a mix of manga titles novels. Headlining the new releases is a novel adaption Makoto Shinkai's The Garden of Words (London based readers will be keen to see the up coming stage play too). They'll also be releasing the latest Konosuba light novel, with the very specific title of Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World! Bonus Story: We are the Megumin Bandits. It's bound to be popular with fans of the Megumin!

Fans of Natsume Ono will want to get hold of ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Department P.S., the spin off returns to the world of ACCA 13-Territory Inspection Department (which was was 6 volume manga also available from Yen Press).

Fans of dark magical girl stories will want to grab the Omnibus Edition of Puella Magi Madoka Magica. The collects the 3 volume manga into a single omnibus edition.

Meanwhile fans of the Barakamon! manga will be interested in the creator's latest offering Yoshi no Zuikara: The Frog in the Well Does Not Know the Ocean.

Call For Papers - Anime and Manga Fandom Before the Year 2000

Date: 2020 February 09 11:09 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Culture

Readers in academic circles may be interested to hear about this call for chapter proposals. It's for a book devoted to archival research in anime and manga fandom before the year 2000. Co-edited by anime and manga expert Helen McCarthy and Dr. Darren-Jon Ashmore, Professor of Anthropology, Yamanashi Gakuin University.

Helen McCarthy tells us "Independent scholars are welcome to submit, you don't have to be attached to an institution, anime and manga don't have to be your primary areas of study if you are. We're really keen to get new thinking and rigorous archival research"

Details can be found on https://cfplist.com/CFP/25594.

Souce: CFP List

Viz Media 2020 Release Announcements from New York Comic Con

Date: 2019 October 07 20:13 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

We've just been sent details of the release announcements from anime and manga publisher Viz Media. At New York Comic Con Viz revealed that they have the publishing rights for Star Wars: The Legends of Luke Skywalker: The Manga.

It's scheduled for release sometime in early 2020. The anthology will feature a collection of stories by renowned manga artists that include Akira Himekawa, Haruichi, Akira Fukaya, Takashi Kisaki and Subaru. Akira Himekawa is the Japanese duo best known for their work on the official The Legend of Zelda manga based on the smash hit Nintendo game series.

Viz have also got a ton of titles manga due out in the summer of 2020. Including Rumiko Takahashi's Maison Ikkoku. The much loved fan favourite has been eagerly anticipated for rerelease.

Mujirushi: The Sign of Dreams by another legendary manga artist Naoki Urasawa has also been highly anticipated. We were lucky enough to interview Naoki Urasawa when he was in London earlier this year.

We're also excited about action packed comedy Spy x Family by Tatsuya Endo. Along with Ping Pong by Taiyo Matsumoto, the mind behind Tekkonkinkreet and Sunny.

Seven Seas Licenses 5 New Yuri Titles for 2020

Date: 2019 September 21 19:59 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks at manga publishers Seven Seas Entertainment have just sent us details of their 5 new yuri license acquisitions. They've got 4 new manga titles and one light novel.

Goodbye, My Rose Garden is a period romance between a British noblewoman and her maid. Volume 1 of the manga is due out April 14, 2020.

Syrup is a yuri anthology collecting short manga about adult women in love. It's due out June 9, 2020.

Failed Princesses is a unlikely high school romance manga. Volume 1 will be released on May 12 2020.

Fragtime is a time-freezing yuri love story. The manga will be released on April 14, 2020.

Adachi and Shimamura is a fan-favorite yuri romance that will soon be adapted into an anime series Volume 1 of the light novel series will be released in print on June 2, 2020

What's Michael? Fatcat Collection Volume 1 Cat Manga Release Details

Date: 2019 June 25 20:47 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

Fans of cat manga can rejoice as publisher Dark Horse are re-releasing the classic What's Michael? as a special fat cat collection.

The manga was originally released in English by Dark Horse in 1997 and has been out of print for a long time, with many fans thought a reprint of Makoto Kobayashi's manga in English unlikely. We're massive fans of the comic antics of this cat manga as it blends slice of life tales (or should that be tails?!) along with amusing fantasy incorporating cats. The light hearted title is due out in the US on January 29, 2020.

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

We've also been told that translator Zack Davisson is involved in this project and will write introductions for each volume. Zack is not only a manga translator, but a cat fan so it an appropriate choice for this series.

Why is the cat called Michael? Well Michael is used in Japanese as causal slang for cat, kind of like moggy.

Seven Seas Entertainment April 2019 Release Announcements

Date: 2019 April 21 19:52 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from manga publisher Seven Seas Entertainment have just sent us a load of details about their recent license acquisitions. They've got pretty much something for everyone, including Haruka Takachiho and Hisao Tamaki's Dirty Pair Manga Omnibus which is a manga retelling of the first Dirty Pair Light Novel.

We're very curious about the very interesting sounding My Father Is a Unicorn which tells the tale of Issei who's Mum has remarried to a shape shifting unicorn (as one does), so now Issei's step dad is a unicorn and hilarity ensues. We've not been as excited about a title like this since Seven Seas licensed My Girlfriend is a T-Rex (which you can also buy on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

Seven Seas Entertainment March 2019 Release Announcements

Date: 2019 March 19 21:45 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

Manga Publisher Seven Seas Entertainment have just announced 3 new license acquisitions that'll arrive in shops in the final months of 2019. They've got Dance in the Vampire Bund: A.S.O. Volume 1 which will hit shelves on October 8th 2019. ASO stands for Age of Scarlet Order and continues the adventures of Mina and Akira. They'll also be re-releasing the original Dance in the Vampire Bund manga volumes in digital format in 2019.

If you fancy some fashionable cooking manga with a twist then Gal Gohan could be the title for you. Volume 1 will be out on December 10th 2019 on print and digital.

Finally they'll also be releasing the Kickstater hit ROADQUEEN: Eternal Roadtrip. The manga-style Girls' Love/yuri graphic novel about motorcycles and romance will be released in print and digital on October 8th 2019.

I Want to Eat Your Pancreas Light Novel and Manga Release Reminder

Date: 2019 February 07 21:46 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

Manga publisher Seven Seas Entertainment have just sent a reminder about I Want to Eat Your Pancreas. The movie hits cinemas around the US soon. They're keen to remind us that they've recently released the original light novel and it's manga adaptation in print and digital platforms. The weepy romantic story has a legion of fans and we're eager to see it too.

As always you can buy the original light novel from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com. The manga is also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

If you want to keep track of other release dates we suggest you check our out sister site the Otaku Calendar, which lists events and release dates of interest to anime and manga fans.

Seven Seas Entertainment New Year 2019 Release Details

Date: 2019 January 15 21:46 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

A new year marks a new load of releases from manga publisher Seven Seas Entertainment. They've sent us a ton of press releases telling us all about them. Rather than spread them across a dozen pages, here's the full list:

There's pretty much something for everyone on this list. We're most excited about The Wize Wize Beasts of the Wizarding Wizdoms by Nagabe as we're really enjoying reading The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún. Plus Neon Genesis Evangelion: ANIMA light novel, as it's always interesting to see other takes on the huge franchise.

Dragon Half Omnibuses 1-3 (Complete Series) Now Available

Date: 2018 December 29 20:01 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from manga publisher Seven Seas Entertainment have sent us a little reminder about their release of the Dragon Half Omnibuses. As of this week, they've released the third and final volume of the series for print and digital. This completes the manga adventures of half dragon girl Mink. The anime is well known in certain circles of anime fandom. It's held dear by a generation of fans who were captivated by it's ridiculous version of Beethoven's Symphony No. 7, 4th movement as ending song My Omelette, along with a wacky story overall.

Mink has a crush on dreamy idol Dick Saucer (this is not a typo), who happens to be a dragon slaying knight, which happens to be a problem when you're a half dragon girl. Hilarity ensues.

As always you can order the books from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

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