A little late into their release date of April 22, but none the less Viz delivered tonight with the first chapter of Rumiko Takahashi’s new series, Rin-Ne. You can read it over on their Rumic World website with their simple but slick manga reader.
“When she was a child Sakura Mamiya mysteriously disappeared in the woods behind her home. She returned whole and healthy, but since then she has had the power to see ghosts. Now a teenager, she just wishes the ghosts would leave her alone! At school, the desk next to Sakura’s has been empty since the start of the school year, but one day her always-absent classmate shows up, and he’s far more than what he seems!”
As for me, I’m already really liking this new series, having been eager to see something new after years of Inu-Yasha (Sorry, Rumiko, it was great stuff but 56 volumes of the same repeat storyline got a little old). Though only chapter so far, Rin-Ne reminds me a great deal more of Rumiko Takahashi’s earlier work, Ranma 1/2 than the more recent, Inu-Yasha. The comedy and pacing felt so nostalgic. Thumbs up from me on that point alone, though I am happy to see her taking another strong go at the supernatural genre.
Speaking of Inu-Yasha, the Rumic World blog has also some exciting news regarding future releases of Inu-Yasha. For the first time in English, the series will be released unflipped! Yay! The unflipped version will begin with the upcoming release of the 38th volume and also includes the VizBig versions of the series, which collect 3-in-1 volumes from the beginning, starting in November. Single volumes will also begin coming out on a monthly basis.
While I understand the culture-related will/need to release manga in our left-to-right format, its a shame when it involves flipping the artwork. As any artist knows, if you flip your art over, it’s rarely ever pretty! Yuck. Not to mention the cultural flaws created by a flip in this case, such as the yukata styles. Art should be seen as the artist drew it so I can’t wait to get my hands on an English copy of Inu-Yasha presented as the artist intended.
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