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Author Archive for Lissa Pattillo

One Peace Brings Story of Grief and Demonic Pacts to English with Raqiya

By Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, April 1, 2014

It’s One Peace‘s first new license of 2014! The publisher confirmed with AnimeNewsNetwork that they’d licensed a new manga title:

Raqiya – Masao Yajima & Boichi

“A truck driver loses control in the Nevada desert and leaves one family dead in an explosive crash. But there is a sole survivor, Luna Hazuki, who makes a pact with a mysterious demon to regain the happiness that was robbed from her. Seven years later she is still living with the family that was supposed to be dead. But little does Luna know that the pact she made will lead to the Apocalypse and the end of the human race.” – One Peace Books

The series is five volumes total, with volumes one and two scheduled for English release in October 2014. You can currently pre-order both volumes on Amazon: Raqiya (Vol. 01) Amazon.ca | Amazon.com, Raqiya (Vol. 02) Amazon.ca | Amazon.com

Raqiya certainly sounds interesting to me! I hope it’s a scary one, as good horror/suspense manga has been severely lacking on my bookshelves as of late.

For those curious about the artist’s work, Boichi’s series Sun-Ken Rock is currently available to read on Crunchyroll. He also had a story published in Dark Horse’s Trigun: Multiple Bullets anthology.

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Seven Seas Licenses Manga Adaptation of ‘No Game, No Life’

By Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, March 30, 2014

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Seven Seas is playing no games with its license announcements this year, dropping another treat with a new manga title:

No Game, No Life – Yuu Kamiya & Mashiro Hiiragi

No Game, No Life is a manga adaptation of the light novel of the same name. The story is about a brother and a sister who have garnered an internet-wide reputation for being brilliant gamers, but are also chronic shut-ins. One day they’re suddenly transported to another world where everything from politics to finances are determined by the outcome of games. The brother and sister who couldn’t contribute to their society at home may have found the chance to offer this new world their particular brand of expertise.

The timing of this license is well chosen as the anime adaptation of No Game, No Life is scheduled to air next week.

The wait for the manga is a bit longer than that, but for those who watch and enjoy the anime, the timing should work out nicely. The first volume of No Game, No Life is scheduled for October 2014.

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Categories: Licensing
Tags: No Game No Life, Seven Seas

Viz Media and We Love Fine Team Up for Shirt Design Contest

By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, March 27, 2014

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Sharpen your pencils and plug in your tablet – Viz Media and We Love Fine have teamed up to hold a Bleach t-shirt design contest! And it’s awfully cool.

The rules are pretty simple – do an original t-shirt design using Bleach characters or symbols, and submit! You can’t use any official artwork or the Bleach logo, but fanart and snazzy designs are accepted and encouraged.

The grand prize includes a paid-trip to Anime Expo, and multiple cash prizes through the tiers of winners. One design will be chosen to be sold as t-shirts in Hot Topic, while all winning designs will be considered for print and sale through We Love Fine.

The judges for the contest are nothing to sneeze at either – Crunchyroll, Hot Topic, Masashi Kudo (editor of the Bleach manga), Yujiro Hattori (character designer from the anime) and Kubo Tite himself, creator of Bleach!

The deadline to submit is April 8th, 2014. Good luck and much fun to all those who submit!

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Categories: Contests
Tags: Bleach, Tite Kubo, Viz Media

Kodansha Comics Makes Fantastical History with Heroic Legend of Arslan

By Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, March 25, 2014

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Enjoy Full Metal Alchemist? Read and adored what we have of Vinland Saga? Or enjoyed the Heroic Legend of Arslan OVA released a million years ago? Combining that art, tone and story, you’ll love this new license from Kodansha Comics:

The Heroic Legend of Arslan – Yoshiki Tanaka/Hiromu Arakawa

The Heroic Legend of Arslan series was originally a light novel, and has since been adapted as multiple manga series and an animated mini-series that Central Park Media released in English. Ah, my high school anime club days.

The series follows a young prince named Arslan, who is the only remaining son of a deceased King and now the heir of a country at war. Arslan and an unlikely, and vastly unnumbered, group of warriors work together to try and take down an army of thousands to save his country.

The artist for this manga adaptation if Hiromu Arakawa, best known for Full Metal Alchemist (one of my all-time comic favourites), and is currently releasing Silver Spoon.

While I’m over the moon happy that Kodansha Comics has licensed The Heroic Legend of Arslan, my excitement was a bit smaller than it would’ve been had Crunchyroll not announced acquiring the series for simulpub just a couple weeks ago. Arslan and more Arslan! I’ve since read all the chapters Crunchyroll has, and am very eagerly awaiting the next installment. And the first printed volume when Kodansha Comics releases it in print this August, of course. I want this beauty in print!

The Heroic Legend of Arslan (Vol. 01) is available for pre-order now from Amazon.ca | Amazon.com.

Kodansha Comics did announce they’d be releasing the book digitally as well, so I suppose we can assume simulpub now from Crunchyroll, digital compilation from Kodansha Comics and a print edition following that. With so many hopes riding on digital delivery giving certain higher-risk series a chance at English release, it almost seems a little silly watching titles licensed by multiple companies in multiple formats. Although, it’s not that surprising seeing a company as big as Kodansha – parent company of the English arm, Kodansha Comics – splitting the piece of manga pie for some of its titles. Arslan isn’t the only title announced this month that is having a publisher time share after all.

(Post cliffhanger!)

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Categories: Licensing
Tags: Crunchyroll, Digital, Heroic Legend of Arslan, Hiromu Arakawa, Kodansha Comics

Seven Seas Goes Back to Wonderland’s Beginnings with Special Release of Alice in Wonderland in Novel

By Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, March 23, 2014

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Seven Seas is bringing together a number of their skills for this newest project, combining their work with novels, original manga-styled artwork and Alice in Wonderland to release their own edition of the original classic:

Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass – Lewis Carroll & Kriss Sison

This book will be a release of Lewis Carroll’s original Alice in Wonderland novel, coupled with new adorable artwork by returning Seven Seas’ artist, Kriss Sison. The book will include full-colour illustrations and over a hundred black & white illustrations.

“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass is a collection of stories featuring the titular character, Alice, and her misadventures through the curious and fantastical lands of Wonderland. As little Alice goes deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole, she meets an assortment of oddball characters, like the eccentric March Hare, the whimsical Mad Hatter, and the enigmatic Cheshire Cat, who will all become familiar faces within this strange world.

If Alice is to navigate the dangerous yet fascinating landscape of Wonderland, she must learn who is friend and who is foe, and use her good breeding and wits to find a way home.”

Alice in Wonderland is scheduled for August 2014 and will cost $16.99/CAN, $14.99/US.

The Alice in the Country of… series that Seven Seas and Yen Press have been releasing shows there’s a hungry audience for the material. While the original won’t have the romance that its numerous based-of works focus around, Kriss Sison’s artwork is gorgeous and will have plenty of eye-catching character designs to draw people’s eye. I’m actually really looking forward to reread the original story but with this pretty artwork colouring my mental imagery as I go.

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Categories: Licensing
Tags: Alice in the Country of..., Global Manga

Viz Media Plans a Dash of Shoujo for Autumn with new Shojo Beat Licenses

By Lissa Pattillo on Saturday, March 15, 2014

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After their recent new titles for Viz Signature and Shonen Jump, Viz Media added some new content for their Shojo Beat imprint last week including a new license:

Yukarism – Chika Shiomi

Yukarism is the story of a young man with an uncanny ability to write about historical Japan. His secret is that he can actually travel back in time, allowing him to live through the eyes of his past life as a courtesan. While switching between his two lives, he also learns more about the strong connection he feels with a classmate.

It’s not often I use the word ‘he’ so often when writing about a shojo series. Still, it sounds neat. I hope a lot of the story takes place in his life as a courtesan, though I am also curious about what that past life means for his relationship with his classmate. How could I not with that picture above?

Chika Shiomi has been published several times in English previously, including Night of the Beasts, Rasetsu, Queen of Ragtonia, and Yurara. Andre previously reviewed Queen of Ragtonia, while I enjoyed what I read of Rasetsu.

Viz Media also announced they’d be releasing a special edition of Vampire Knight‘s final volume this October. It will include a variant cover and a mini art book. This limited edition copy will be available for $16.99 CAN, $14.99 US.

In added celebration for the series finale, there will also be a collection of Vampire Knight short prose stories released in December. Titled Vampire Knight: Fleeting Dreams, the collection will feature special full-colour artwork from Matsuri Hino. More information is available via Viz Media’s press release.

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Categories: Licensing
Tags: Light Novels, Matsuri Hino, Vampire Knight, Yukarism

Yen Press Collects Haruhi Anthologies for October Omnibus

By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, March 12, 2014

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Yen Press isn’t letting their Haruhi Suzumiya library gather any dust as they catch up with the release of its main series by year’s end. The publisher will be releasing a hefty collection of Haruhi stories later this year:

The Celebration of Haruhi Suzumiya – Various Creators

This omnibus collects three different anthologies of stories starring the characters of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Yen Press previously released an anthology like these ones on its own, The Misfortune of Kyon & Koizumi, which I read, enjoyed and reviewed last year.

These three Haruhi anthologies have stories from a bunch of different artists and writers, making them a fun read for the diversity of content. This omnibus collection clocks in at 528 pages and will be released in October. The book will cost $29.00/CAN, $26.00/US, and can be pre-ordered now from Amazon.ca or Amazon.com.

News credit goes to AnimeNewsNetwork

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Categories: Licensing
Tags: Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Omnibus, Yen Press

TCAF Welcomes Moyoco Anno to 2014 Event

By Lissa Pattillo on Monday, March 10, 2014

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Exciting news from Toronto Comics Art Fest last week – the annual comics event announced manga artist Moyoco Anno as their newest special guest!

Moyoco Anno is a name familiar to many English manga fans; her works have been released by several manga publishers over the past decade. Plus, she’s pretty great! Her titles include Insufficient Direction, Sakuran, Flowers & Bees, Sugar Sugar Rune, Happy Mania and the upcoming In Clothes Called Fat.

Moyoco Anno previously attended New York Comic Con 2012.

Well-timed to this news from TCAF is Crunchyroll adding three new Moyoco Anno titles to their digital manga program. Buffalo 5 Girls is a completed one-shot, while Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen and The Diary of Ochibi-san will be on-going simultaneous publications once the schedules line-up.

I’ve gone to TCAF for the past three years and have always loved it. The atmosphere, the artist’s present and the city itself are always worth the trip. This year is looking no less enjoyable! Along with Moyoco Anno, TCAF also recently announced est em would be attending. Can you say excited?

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Categories: News
Tags: Canada, Conventions, Moyoco Anno, TCAF, Vertical Inc

PR: Viz Media Launches New Shojo Manga Series Phantom Thief Jeanne

By Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, March 9, 2014

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VIZ MEDIA LAUNCHES NEW SHOJO MANGA SERIES PHANTOM THIEF JEANNE

From Famed Manga Creator Arina Tanemura, A Young Girl With Magical Powers Becomes An Art Thief To Steal Paintings Possessed by Demons

San Francisco, CA, March 5, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, steals the hearts of manga (graphic novel) fans with the launch of the series – PHANTOM THIEF JEANNE. The new magical-girl fantasy by beloved creator Arina Tanemura, is now available from the Shojo Beat imprint with an age raging of ‘T’ for Teens and carries an MSRP of $10.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.

A digital version is also available for $6.99 (USD/CAN) on VIZManga.com and through the VIZ MANGA App for the Apple iPad®, iPhone® and iPod® touch, Android-powered smart phones, as well as through the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks and GooglePlay stores.

The remaining volumes of the 5-volume fantasy adventure series are scheduled to debut every other month.

High school student Maron Kusakabe has a secret – she’s Phantom Thief Jeanne. She sneaks into private art collections to steal paintings in which demons reside. Jeanne’s task is to seal the demons before they can devour human hearts. So far she’s been able to evade the police on her midnight outings, but now another thief has come onto the scene – Phantom Thief Sinbad – and he’s trying to take the paintings before she does!

PR: More From Shojo Beat This Fall Incl Time Drama YUKARISM and New Vampire Knight

By Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, March 9, 2014

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VIZ MEDIA ADDS MORE TITLES TO SHOJO BEAT
FALL 2014 PUBLISHING SCHEDULE WITH NEW MANGA RELEASES

North America’s Leading Shojo Manga Imprint Adds BLACK BIRD COMPLETE BOX SET, Multiple Releases For International Bestseller VAMPIRE KNIGHT And The Premiere Of Time Travel Drama YUKARISM

San Francisco, CA, March 7, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, presents magical realms, time travel and gorgeous gothic vampires as it announces the acquisition by its Shojo Beat imprint of new releases for BLACK BIRD, VAMPIRE KNIGHT and a brand new series, YUKARISM, that are scheduled to debut during the Fall of 2014.

Fans can look forward to the time-traveling historical drama of YUKARISM, by esteemed creator Chika Shiomi, and can collect the entirety of the award-winning supernatural adventure BLACK BIRD in a deluxe box set. The final volume of Matsuri Hino’s gothic melodrama, VAMPIRE KNIGHT, will receive a Limited Edition treatment this Fall, and the second half of the series will be collected in a “Night Class” box set. Also of special interest will be VAMPIRE KNIGHT: FLEETING DREAMS, a volume of short stories featuring special illustrations by Matsuri Hino!

YUKARISM and VAMPIRE KNIGHT Volume 19 will debut in print and also digitally on VIZManga.com and the VIZ MANGA App for the Apple iPad®, iPhone® and iPod® touch, Android-powered smart phones. They will also be avaialble on the NOOK, Kindle Fire, and Kobo ereaders, as well as in the iBooks and Google Play Stores.

BLACK BIRD COMPLETE MANGA BOX SET• Rated ‘T+’ For Older Teens •
MSRP: $149.99 U.S. / $149.99 CAN • Available October 2014
There is a world of myth and magic that intersects ours, and only a special few can see it. Misao Harada is one such person, and she wants nothing to do with magical realms. She just wants to have a normal high school life and maybe get a boyfriend. But she is the bride of demon prophecy, and her blood grants incredible powers, her flesh immortality. Now the demon realm is fighting over the right to her hand…or her life! Creator Kanoko Sakurakouji won the 54th annual Shogakukan Manga Award for BLACK BIRD. This box set includes volumes 1-18, comprising the entire series, and a mini art book premium.

VAMPIRE KNIGHT LIMITED EDITION VOLUME 19 (SERIES FINALE)
• Rated ‘T+’ For Older Teens • MSRP: $15.99 U.S. / $18.99 CAN •
Available October 2014
Catch the final volume of VAMPIRE KNIGHT in a special limited edition featuring an alternate cover and mini art book. In the acclaimed series created by Matsuri Hino, Cross Academy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy’s dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires! The Volume 19 regular edition will also be available to readers.

VAMPIRE KNIGHT: FLEETING DREAMS • MSRP: $14.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN •
Available December 2014
A collection of short stories by Ayuna Fujisaki, based on the VAMPIRE KNIGHT manga series, featuring special illustrations and a full-color fold out by Matsuri Hino! In “Deranged Love,” a dying Rido reflects on his obsessive love for Juri. Kaname wants to reward Yuki for doing well on her studies with tutor Aido in “Gifts for Yuki.” The story of Sara’s first love is revealed in “Hidden Love.” In “Queen of the Abyss,” after Zero parts ways with Yuki and returns to being a vampire hunter, he encounters a vampire named Shien. “The Melancholy of White Lily” features a tale of the bond between Zero and Cross Academy’s wild horse, and finally the students at Cross Academy find a time capsule on campus in “In a Thousand Years.”

VAMPIRE KNIGHT MANGA BOX SET 2 • Rated ‘T+’ For Older Teens • MSRP: $89.99 U.S. / $99.99 CAN • Available November 2014
The second box set completes the acclaimed series, and includes vols. 11-19 along with a premium mini art book.

YUKARISM • Rated ‘T+’ For Older Teens • MSRP: $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN • Available in Print & Digital December 2014
Yukari Kobayakawa, an accomplished author at the age of 17, writes with amazingly accurate details about historical Japan. It turns out he has the ability to travel back in time – to his past life as a renowned courtesan in the Edo period! As he goes back and forth between the past and present, he also unravels the karmic relationship he has with his beautiful classmate Mahoro Tachibana… Catch the gorgeously illustrated historical romance from Chika Shiomi, the creator of YURARA and RASETSU (also available from VIZ Media).