Just to get the Fantagraphics stuff out of the way, here are a few choice links: First of all, The Comics Journal has now published all four parts of Matt Thorn’s 2005 interview with Moto Hagio online (previously only available in print or on Matt Thorn’s blog). Click for parts one, two, three, and four.

While we’re at TCJ, you should also check out Shaenon Garrity’s recent post about Moto Hagio, I also like her creepy vampire kids. Meanwhile, Deb Aoki interviews Fantagraphics’ president Gary Groth at About.com.

One last piece of related info: Regarding all the press floating around about Shimura Takako’s Wandering Son, I was very gently informed by a transgender reader that the description of the series’ main characters that has appeared in nearly every release, “a boy who wants to be a girl” and “a girl who wants to be a boy,” would be much more respectfully phrased, “a transgender girl and transgender boy.” I’ve updated my own coverage to reflect this information, but I also said I’d try to help spread the word more widely over the manga blogosphere. So bloggers, if you’re reading, take note! I was grateful to be told and I thought others might be too.

Now to prove that I actually have cared about other things this week!

First, Manga Critic Kate Dacey posts a thoughtful (and admirably civil) response to this maddening review of Scott Pilgrim, If You’re Going to Hate on Manga…, laying out a set of genuinely helpful tips for western journalists who are interested in speaking intelligently about manga whether they enjoy the medium or not. Personally, I think everyone who sees this should read her post, including manga fans, some of whom (me included) may be guilty of similar sins when discussing western comics. If you follow one link in this entire post, let it be that one.

Next, Jason Thompson, another of my favorite voices in the manga blogosphere, has two great articles out this week: To Protect and Kill: Morality in Action Manga at io9 (title self-explanatory) and The Other Love that Dare Not Speak its Name at comiXology, which discusses the prevalence of incest as a theme in manga. Both offer the kind of expertise and thoughtful insight I’ve come to take for granted from Jason. (Thanks to Brigid Alverson for the links!)

A couple of newsy tidbits: Shonen Sunday is featuring an interview with mangaka Yuu Watase in which she discusses her new shonen series, Arata: The Legend. (Read the first nine chapters now for free at shonensunday.com.) Also, Chris Beveridge at Mania.com has the scoop on the planned manga section at Apple’s upcoming eBook store, as well as some thoughts on the future of digital distribution in general.

Lastly, Deb Aoki shared a link to this delightful post on Twitter earlier today, The Surprising Old-School Secret to Blogging Success from Sonia Simone at Copyblogger. The post offers up a radical suggestion to bloggers looking for new success in social networking. It’s a must-read for all of us!

That’s it for my lunch hour. Hope you enjoy yours!

Twitter is a-buzz this evening with licensing news from the folks at Digital Manga, who have announced the rescue of Finder, a popular series previously held by the now-defunct Central Park Media. Here’s the official press release:

Gardena, CA (3/11/10)- Digital Manga Publishing and Libre Shuppan are proud to announce the licensing of the Finder Series by Ayano Yamane! The Finder series has been one of the most heavily requested series from our readers, and has been considered by fans of the yaoi genre to be the quintessential yaoi title. From one of Japan’s top-selling yaoi mangaka, Ayano Yamane, DMP is proud to release the Finder series beginning with volume one in the summer of 2010 under the June’ imprint. For more information, news updates, and to keep on top of all things Finder, visit the Finder website at www.finderseries.com!

From our friends at Libre Shuppan:

We are pleased to announce that Kazuma Kodaka’s KIZUNA-絆- and Ayano Yamane’s Finder Series, both of which were previously licensed by Central Park Media, are now acquired by Digital Manga Publishing (DMP). For these series, all volumes will be newly translated and will be published under DMP’s June imprint. Finder Series is set to be released in Summer of 2010 and Kizuna is scheduled for September of 2010.

For further inquiries regarding this matter, feel free to contact us at rights@libre-pub.co.jp or Digital Manga Inc, at contact@emanga.com We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for reading our books and for your continued support.

———-

FINDER VOL. 1: TARGET IN THE VIEWFINDER, Rated M+ (for ages 18+), MSRP: $13.95, Available: SUMMER 2010, SIZE: B6, June’ Imprint

While out on assignment trying to document the illegal activities of the Japanese underworld, photographer Takaba crosses paths with the dark and mysterious leader Asami. Asami takes Takaba captive, in an attempt to subjugate and possess him. But when the son of the Chinese mafia enters demanding evidence that Takaba may have, will Takaba be able to survive being caught in the crosshairs of a deadly underworld feud?

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Sumi Kitamura is in a bind. Her older brother (a happy-go-lucky male escort with a gambling problem) has a habit of bringing home orphaned children for her to take care of. Unfortunately, what he rarely brings home is money. With the landlady looming and loan sharks at her door, Sumi decides to sell herself in order to keep her family alive and together. The buyer is Soichiro Ashida, a wealthy, jaded young man who must marry immediately in order to inherit his grandfather’s business empire. Soichiro promises Sumi all the money she needs in exchange for her hand in (loveless) marriage. Desperate, Sumi agrees, but is she really prepared to give up everything she loves for a the life of a lonely society wife?

When it comes to frothy romance manga, there are allowances most readers are always prepared to make. Realism? Unnecessary. Depth? Optional. Cliché? Bring it on! In return, these readers ask for just one thing: Romance–heart-stopping, unrestrained, no holds barred romance. Unfortunately, though Stepping on Roses takes full advantage of its readers’ generosity, it fails to deliver on its end of the bargain.

Though Sumi and Soichiro are positioned perfectly for their roles as the plucky commoner and guarded aristocrat who unexpectedly find love while trapped in a marriage of convenience, neither is interesting enough for them to develop any real chemistry. Soichiro is cold and controlling like so many of his ilk, but without any real sense of mystery with which to attract readers, let alone Sumi. Meanwhile, Sumi is bland, dense, and surprisingly shallow–more distraught over having lost out on a chance with Soichiro’s charming best friend than she is about the family she left behind (or even the calculated erosion of her individuality). Gags involving Sumi’s lack of social refinement repeatedly fall flat. And without any context provided for the story’s Meiji Era setting, it’s hard to know what conclusion to draw when her ignorance of western manners and customs is characterized as near-barbarianism.

Rinko Ueda’s artwork, a highlight of her series Tail of the Moon, feels tired and lifeless here. The work is nicely detailed and generally attractive (especially its period settings and dress), but offers little character or passion, much like the story itself. Even opportunities to engage readers in the unique dynamics of the period, visually or otherwise, are passed by with little enthusiasm.

Though it’s tempting to hope that subsequent volumes may offer something more to grab onto, even dedicated fans of romance manga may find their optimism hanging by a string. With all its trappings carefully in place, Stepping on Roses simply lacks heart.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

For shojo fans (and indeed serious manga fans as a whole) this announcement is beyond exciting, a fact plainly demonstrated by the massive outpouring of joy between manga bloggers and fans yesterday afternoon on Twitter. Many have expressed speechlessness over the news. At The Manga Curmudgeon, David Welsh is keeping a running list of blog reactions and official news.

In the wake of the initial announcement, both Fantagraphics and Matt Thorn have come forward with further details, including a list of stories chosen by Thorn for the new line’s first offering, Moto Hagio’s A Drunken Dream and Other Stories, as well as the collection’s cover art. They also announced that Hagio will be a guest at this year’s Comic-Con International.

Here is the rundown of stories for the Hagio collection as listed by Matt Thorn in his blog:

• “Bianca” (1970, 16 pages)
• “Girl on Porch with Puppy” (1971, 12 pages)
• “Autumn Journey” (1971, 24 pages)
• “Marié, Ten Years Later” (1977, 16 pages)
• “A Drunken Dream” (1980, 21 pages)
• “Hanshin” (1984, 16 pages)
• “Angel Mimic” (1984, 50 pages)
• “Iguana Girl” (1991, 50 pages)
• “The Child Who Comes Home” (1998, 24 pages)
• “The Willow Tree” (2007, 20 pages)

Just as exciting is the announcement of the second project in Fantagraphics’ new lineup, Shimura Takako’s Wandering Son (Hourou Musuko in Japanese), a multi-volume series that follows the lives of two childhood friends–Nitori, a transgender girl, and Takatsuki, a transgender boy–as they struggle with puberty and gender identity in modern-day Japan.

Originally serialized in seinen magazine Comic Beam (home of Emma and Little Fluffy Gigolo Pelu), Wandering Son was recommended by the Japan Media Arts Festival in 2006.

Few manga series focusing genuinely on LGBT issues (by which I mean not crazy gender-switch comedies or exploitative sexual fantasy) have been released in English by anyone (insert appreciation for ALC Publishing here), so this license is remarkable in a number of ways. Kudos to Fantagraphics for taking the risk on a multi-volume series, in particular.

It is worth noting that the acquisition of Wandering Son is unexpected in the context of Fantagraphics’ main announcement as well, since it is not a Shogakukan property, which provides some insight on the potential scope of their plans.

For the latest news, keep an eye on David’s links. For extended giddiness, I recommend Twitter. ETA: Additional commentary from Dirk Deppey here.

What does this mean? MOTO HAGIO, that is what it means. The first item being listed by Amazon is A Drunken Dream and Other Stories. I, for one, am counting the days until September when I can own this volume for myself. So little of Hagio’s work has been available in English up to this point, exactly none of which remains in print. This is truly a crime.

For more background and further understanding of why this is so significant for fans of shojo manga, take a look at this brilliant 2005 interview with Hagio, conducted by Matt Thorn for The Comics Journal and posted now in its entirety in his blog. For a small taste of Hagio’s work, see my review of They Were Eleven at CBR’s Comics Should Be Good. Mostly, though? Read Matt Thorn. Always read Matt Thorn.

Many thanks to Gia Manry for Amazon sleuthing and to David Welsh for spreading the word!

ETA: More from Fantagraphics, including details about A Drunken Dream and their second (equally exciting) release, Shimura Takako’s multi-volume story of transgender childhood friends, Wandering Son. Also a word from Matt Thorn, who lists which stories will be included in the Hagio collection.

Panel portion from “The Willow Tree,” ©2010 Moto Hagio/Shogakukan.

Knowing only the premise, I expected this volume to fall into the ranks of so many forgettable BL one-shots, and I certainly never expected to be writing a positive review. Fortunately, my expectations were kicked to the curb less than a chapter in.

Utterly devoid of the overworked angst and longing of most modern vampire stories, How To Seduce a Vampire is genuinely funny, unexpectedly rich, and an undeniably entertaining read.

Check out my review for more!

As an update to last week’s discussion of March releases, let’s talk a bit further about NETCOMICS. As Michelle Smith pointed out this week on Twitter, all of NETCOMICS’ scheduled chapter updates for March are for its current manhwa series, including The Adventures of Young Det, Full House, Small-Minded Schoolgirls, and Please, Please Me. New chapters for each of these series will be debuting each week.

It’s worth noting that each of these series (mainly for adult women) made an appearance on our Manhwa Monday special edition, Favorite Manhwa of 2009, being recommended by at least one of that feature’s contributors.

Also in the realm of recommendations, the Library Journal came out with a list of “27 Graphic Novels for Women’s History Month,” including Kim Dong Hwa’s Color of… series (First Second). Also, David Welsh continues his Shojo-Sunjeong Alphabet series, now on letter “T” which includes both The Tarot Cafe (Tokyopop) and Time and Again (Yen Press).

On to the reviews!

Here at Manga Bookshelf, I read my first manhwa from Canadian publisher Udon Entertainment–volume one of girls’ horror comic Reading Club. More to come! 13th Boy (Yen Press) yields a couple of reviews this week, from yulianka at Wordcandy Bookshelf (Vol. 1) and Lissa Pattillo at Kuriousity (Vol. 3).

MIKETINFOIL at booghosts ltd. takes a look at volume one of Shaman Warrior (Dark Horse). Danica Davidson reviews manhwa for a couple of different sites this week, volume three of Sarasah (Yen Press) at iFMagazine and volume one of One Fine Day (Yen Press) at the Graphic Novel Reporter.

That’s all for this week!

Is there something I’ve missed? Leave your manhwa-related links in comments!

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Eun-Sae is thrilled when dreamy bookworm Kyung-Do asks her to volunteer with him to clean up their school library. Unfortunately, a couple of surprises await her as she takes on this new task. Though Kyung-Do is clearly interested in reading everything in the library’s sprawling collection, he shows very little enthusiasm for actually organizing the place. Secondly, the collection includes a book with some sinister supernatural qualities that may have played a part in several tragic deaths, including that of Kyung-Do’s father. Can Eun-Sae save Kyung-Do from meeting the same fate?

Reading Club is billed as “Korea’s first horror comic for girls,” and while I can’t speak to the accuracy of that statement, I can vouch for it being very effectively geared to its target audience. The first volume favors story over romance, but with an intimate feel reminiscent of the plotty romance novels that drew me in most as a teen, like Mary Stewart’s Touch Not the Cat or The Gabriel Hounds. Her stories were always favorites of mine, marrying heart-stopping fear and heart-pounding romance, all experienced through the tight POV of her sophisticated heroines. Though Reading Club does not stick with Eun-Sae’s POV for the entirety of its first volume (nor is Eun-Sae the equivalent of Stewart’s snappy young ladies of leisure) the effect is the same. Plot is the focus of the volume throughout, but it is Eun-Sae’s feelings that drive the story, whether she’s fighting off ancient evil or boldly taking the initiative with her new crush.

One particularly refreshing aspect of the story, especially for young female readers, is the reversal of traditional heroine and hero roles. While Kyung-Do is portrayed as a passive beauty who sparkles only in the presence of good books, Eun-Sae is all action, vowing to protect her delicate boyfriend from coming to a tragic end. This reversal is never played as parody and Eun-Sae in particular is wonderfully nuanced, despite limited “screen time” in this volume. She’s sometimes brave, often lazy, occasionally dishonest, and definitely driven by hormones, just like any teen. Kyong-Do is more of a mystery, both to Eun-Sae and to us, which is exactly as it should be so early on in this kind of story.

Reading Club’s greatest weakness at this point is its length, or rather its lack thereof. Though the series’ first volume effectively introduces both its cast and major plot points, so little is understood about the book’s sinister powers (let alone the mysterious “Reading Club”) even by the end of the volume, there is a sense of shallowness to the story’s supernatural elements that could be avoided by revealing just a bit more. Presumably deeper insight is yet to come, but it would be nice to have a stronger taste early on to better whet the appetite for future volumes. Though the volume delivers a sufficiently spooky premise along with some genuinely frightening imagery, the connection between the two is not yet solid enough to hold up under scrutiny. Why does one of the book’s victims commit suicide, while another is simply found dead with a creepy severed tongue? The story’s mythology has not yet been explored deeply enough for us to know, keeping real terror safely at arm’s length.

The series’ artwork is sparse yet vivid, helping to set the story’s dark, tense tone right from the start. Its character designs are unremarkable yet nicely distinctive from one another, helping to shape characters immediately within the story’s plotty framework. Unfortunately, the volume’s text is less easy on the eyes, printed in a small, cramped font that is sure to force some readers into squinting from page to page.

As the first of Udon’s manhwa catalogue I’ve had the pleasure to read, this volume fortunately leaves me wanting more. For smart teen romance paired with genuine chills, Reading Club is a promising choice.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

I have mixed feelings about Watase’s classic Fushigi Yugi, though much love for its current spinoff, Fushigi Yugi Genbu Kaiden. A quick glance at Arata proves that Watase’s art style lends itself well to shonen, which comes as no surprise at all. One of Genbu Kaiden’s strengths is its energetic but clear action sequences–a rare virtue in shonen manga.

There are few reviewer reactions to refer to at this point, though Connie at Slightly Biased Manga seems to have enjoyed the first volume. Fortunately, readers can preview the series for free themselves, now up to eight chapters at Shonen Sunday. Here’s the full press release from Viz:

San Francisco, CA, March 3, 2010 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, brings famed manga creator Yuu Watase’s potent blend of mythical fantasy adventure and lavish artwork for the North American debut of ARATA: THE LEGEND on March 9th. The new series is published under the SHONEN SUNDAY imprint, rated ‘T’ for Teens, and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.

In a world where humans and gods coexist, Arata is the unfortunate successor to the matriarchal Hime Clan–unfortunate because if he’s not cross-dressing to hide his gender one minute, he’s fleeing for his life the next! When Arata winds up in the modern world and switches places with a boy named Arata Hinohara, it’s a wonder which Arata is actually better off…

In Volume 1, Hinohara is the spitting image of Arata, so he suddenly finds himself fighting people after his life! As he navigates through this foreign world filled with power-hungry warriors, who will come to his aid? One thing’s for sure–it’s not easy being Arata!

“I’m really excited to see ARATA: THE LEGEND joining the Shonen Sunday imprint. The art is gorgeous, the series is action-packed and no one can create a lush fantasy world the way Yuu Watase can!” says Amy Yu, Editor, VIZ Media. “Fans who know her work in the shojo genre will experience a whole new side to this creative mastermind.”

Born March 5 in Osaka, Yuu Watase debuted in the Shôjo Comic manga anthology in 1989. She won the 43rd Shogakukan Manga Award with Ceres: Celestial Legend. One of her most famous works is Fushigi Yûgi, a series that has inspired the prequel Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden. In 2008, Arata: The Legend started serialization in Weekly Shonen Sunday.

ARATA THE LEGEND is one of the newest titles under VIZ Media’s SHONEN SUNDAY imprint, the new standard for riveting stories and creative excellence. Titles under this imprint are more than shonen stories with struggling heroes and endless battles. Shonen Sunday characters are tested both mentally and physically, asked to prove their worth alongside loyal allies and encounter legends that have outlasted time itself. Each manga series under the SHONEN SUNDAY imprint will enchant the reader with tales from Japan’s top manga creators featuring complex, intriguing characters in richly imagined worlds.

For more information on this title or other SHONEN SUNDAY series, please visit www.shonensunday.com.

First of all, Rob at Panel Patter has been reading/reviewing Yumi Tamura’s classic shojo series Basara, a favorite series of mine (and quite possibly Michelle Smith’s most-loved manga series of all time). Since Michelle is always right, I feel compelled to share Rob’s reviews with the world. He’s just finished volume two. Click here to check out what he has to say so far.

Over at The Manga Curmudgeon, David Welsh presses on with his Shojo-Sunjeong Alphabet, now on letter “T“. I went over to express support for CLAMP’s Tokyo Babylon (probably my second-favorite of all their work) and Moto Hagio’s They Were Eleven, both on which I’ve reviewed for my Tokidoki Daylight column at CBR’s Comics Should Be Good. These two series probably couldn’t be more different, but I love them both very much.

While we’re on the topic of classic shojo, I’ll take this opportunity to mention again the upcoming Banana Fish Roundtable. Take a look at the comments section to find a tip for readers in northern California thanks to Sara K. If anyone else has info to pass on, please do!

Moving on to newer series, I was reminded on Twitter yesterday that Tokyopop is releasing volume five of Silver Diamond this month, with the next volume expected in June. This is fantastic news for fans, who have waited almost a year for a new volume hit the shelves. Read my review of the first four volumes here.

That’s all for now!