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Posts Tagged Seven Seas

Review: Gunslinger Girl – Omnibus (Vol. 03)

By Victoria K Martin on Tuesday, November 29, 2011

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Manga-ka: Yu Aida
Publisher: Seven Seas
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: October 2011

Synopsis: “There is a secret counter-terrorism unit for the Italian government known only as the “Social Welfare Agency.” Its mission: to rescue troubled girls and turn them into heartless cyborg assassins using the latest advances in cyber-technology. The newest inductee into the Agency is a second generation cyborg called Petrushka, who may be the Agency’s most powerful operative yet. Petrushka is given a formidable trial-by-fire mission, together with her handler Allesandro, to foil an assassination attempt. Can she prove she’s got what it takes in an impossible mission she may not even survive?”

Gunslinger Girl fans, myself included, have waited a very long time for the arrival of this book. The series license was once held by ADV, who started publishing the book, stopped, started again, and then had the whole manga section fold, placing the series in indefinite limbo. Thankfully, Seven Seas stepped in to pick the title up; however, getting to new material took quite some time as the first six volumes were re-published in two omnibus additions. But finally volumes seven and eight are here, together in the third omnibus, and the question about what happens next can finally be answered.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Manga, Omnibus, Seven Seas

Seven Seas Goes Omnibus With Some Genre Favourites

By Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, November 22, 2011

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Seven Seas has announced two new manga licenses today, both of which should please many a manga reader.

Girl Friends – Milk Morinaga
I Don’t Like You At All, Big Brother!! – Kusano Kouichi

Girl Friends is a five-volume yuri series by one of the genre’s most well known creators, Milk Morinaga. This is Morinaga’s first title to be released in English.

“When it comes to grades, bookish high school student Mariko Kumakura is at the top of her class. Socially, however, she is shy and lonely, typically eating lunch by herself. Enter the charismatic and beautiful Akko Oohashi, whose mission is to befriend Mariko and burst her out of her introverted shell. In the process of transforming Plain Jane Mariko into one of the cutest, most popular girls in school, deep feelings begin to emerge that suggest something deeper than friendship.”

Seven Seas has previously put out several yuri titles – which are stories with a focus on romantic relationships between women – including The Last Uniform and Strawberry Panic. Girl Friends will be released as two omnibus volumes, each $17.99/US for 496 pages. The first will be on sale October 2012 with the second out in January 2013.

I Don’t Like You At All, Big Brother!! is a multi-volume manga series about a girl with a severe brother complex:

“Junior High School student Takanashi Nao has a problem: she has a crush on her dreamy older brother, Shuusuke. Fortunately, when Nao discovers that she was adopted as a child and they’re not related by blood, it seems like the coast is clear–but Shuusuke just doesn’t see it that way.”

To be honest, this is the kind of series I’d actively avoid (incest, no thank you) but I know it has a decent-sized fan following so many will be very glad for this news! The series will be released as 2-in-1 omnibus books at )$16.99/US)/($19.50/CAN) with the first scheduled for release in August 2012 with a 320 page count.

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Categories: Licensing, News
Tags: Manga, Seven Seas, Yuri

PR: Seven Seas Goes Omnibus-First With Girl Friends and…

By Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, November 22, 2011

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Seven Seas Goes Omnibus-First With GIRL FRIENDS and I DON’T LIKE YOU AT ALL, BIG BROTHER!!

(LOS ANGELES, November 22, 2011) – Seven Seas Entertainment is pleased to announce that it has added two much-requested manga series to its 2012 line-up–Kusano Kouichi’s hilarious harem comedy I Don’t Like You At All, Big Brother!! and Morinaga Milk’s highly praised yuri romance manga Girl Friends. Seven Seas will release both series in value-priced omnibus editions.

“Fans have been requesting we license these series for a long time now, and we have responded,” said Jason DeAngelis, publisher of Seven Seas Entertainment. “Our various omnibus editions have done quite well, so we decided to publish these series for the first time as multi-volume omnibuses to give people a lot of bang for their buck.”

I Don’t Like You At All, Big Brother!! is a popular harem comedy manga series that spawned a successful anime TV series which aired in Japan in spring 2011:

Junior High School student Takanashi Nao has a problem: she has a crush on her dreamy older brother, Shuusuke. Fortunately, when Nao discovers that she was adopted as a child and they’re not related by blood, it seems like the coast is clear–but Shuusuke just doesn’t see it that way. To make matters worse, Nao finds herself in direct competition against Shuusuke’s hot childhood friend, Iroha, not to mention class president Mayuka. As all three girls vie for Shuusuke’s attention, Nao soon learns that all is fair in love and war! I Don’t Like You At All, Big Brother!! will be released in 2-in-1 omnibus editions for the low price of $16.99 starting in August 2012.

Girl Friends, a tale of forbidden love for fans of Strawberry Panic, is an all-new girls romance manga series by yuri icon Morinaga Milk:

When it comes to grades, bookish high school student Mariko Kumakura is at the top of her class. Socially, however, she is shy and lonely, typically eating lunch by herself. Enter the charismatic and beautiful Akko Oohashi, whose mission is to befriend Mariko and burst her out of her introverted shell. In the process of transforming Plain Jane Mariko into one of the cutest, most popular girls in school, deep feelings begin to emerge that suggest something deeper than friendship. Will these feelings destroy the budding relationship between Mariko and Akko, or will it turn into something else? Seven Seas will release the entire five-volume series in two affordable, 496-page omnibus editions ($17.99 each) with the first edition, Girl Friends: The Complete Collection I, on sale October 2012, and Girl Friends: The Complete Collection II on sale January 2013.

Read more…

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Seven Seas, Yuri

Victorian Halloween: Seven Seas Schedules Print for 2012

By Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, November 15, 2011

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The end of 2011 is creeping up and companies are continuing to give us lots of manga-loving reasons to look forward to 2012. Seven Seas has listed print information for three new manhwa titles up on their website this week, all you can expect to be released this coming year. Two were announced back in August but fell under the radar as footnotes in a post about their online comics initiative.

Alongside their recent news about acquiring Young Miss Holmes, the company is starting a trend of mystery-solving, Victorian-era titles. Very neat! I really look forward to reading them and it’s fantastic seeing another publisher is still actively looking into the vast Korean market of comics.

Lizzie Newton: Victorian Mysteries – Jeon Hye-Jin
First Volume (Omnibus, 1-2): August 2012

“Lizzie Newton, a young upper crust lady with a budding career as a mystery writer, is expected to know her place in Victorian society. …While the headstrong Lizzie tolerates earnest Edwin, she is not yet ready to accept him as her fiance. Besides, Lizzie is distracted by something far more important: an apparent suicide has occurred in the manor, and Lizzie is ready to solve her first real life murder case!” – Seven Seas

Witch Hunter – Cho Jung-Man
First Volume (Omnibus, 1-2): June 2012 | Second Volume (Omnibus, 3-4): October 2012

“Tasha Godspell, also known as the “Magic Marksman,” is one of the best Witch Hunters there is. Along with his sword-wielding Jack-o’-Lantern partner known as Halloween, Tasha puts his magical training and weaponry to good use, in his constant battles against witches. And yet, he cannot bring himself to fully hate the very witches he is tasked to destroy.” – Seven Seas

Jack the Ripper: Hell Blade – Jetae Yoo
First Volume: July 2012 | Second Volume: October 2012 | Third Volume: January 2013

“Jack the Ripper is not what he seems –but the truth may be more terrible than anyone imagined. A young police detective from Scotland Yard struggles to unravel the mystery behind the brutal slayings that grip 19th Century London. What he learns will turn his world upside down, and pit him face to face against the Ripper himself. But is Jack his savior or destroyer?” – Seven Seas

Witch Hunter and Lizzie Newton were originally announced as part of Seven Seas web-comic collection, Zoom Comics. The website is currently offering free online editions to read several of Seven Seas’ original properties, including the recently published Dracula Everlasting and Vampire Cheerleaders. It will be running the first volume of Witch Hunter starting in January.

With more titles on the horizon that’ll excite quite a few fans, Seven Seas is making an impressive come back into the licensed comic publishing market. With a bunch of new titles, strong digital initiatives and comics from sources few publishers are looking to these days, they’re a company you’ll want to keep an eye on.

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Categories: Licensing, News
Tags: Global Manga, Lizzie Newton, Manhwa, Seven Seas

Swag Bag: Mew Mew Manga Power

By Lissa Pattillo on Friday, November 4, 2011

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New York Comic Con may’ve been almost a month ago but I’m still digging myself out of the stacks of stuff I bought there. What I brought back from the ‘big apple’ remains a post for another day but October proved itself manga-behemonth enough in release count to ensure every release-day was another manga buying opportunity.

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Categories: Features, Swag Bag
Tags: Bakuman, Black Butler, CLAMP, Dark Horse, Gate 7, Hinako Takanaga, Kamisama Kiss, Kodansha Comics, Manga, Natsume's Book of Friends, Seven Seas, Viz Media, Yen Press

Seven Seas Licenses All Ages’ Young Miss Holmes

By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, November 2, 2011

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Seven Seas released a PR confirming their license of Kaoru Shintani’s Christie: High Tension series, titled for English release as Young Miss Holmes.

“Christie Holmes is a prodigy. At ten years old, she’s as familiar with the sciences and classics as any older student at Cambridge or Oxford. And her facility with logic is reminiscent of her uncle, the eminent Sherlock Holmes himself. So, what’s a brilliant young girl to do when her parents are away in India, leaving her behind in the care of maids and servants? Solve mysteries, of course.”

The series is labelled All Ages and will be released as two-in-one omnibus books. Young Miss Holmes is currently seven volumes in Japan and still on-going. Along with cameos from Christie’s famous uncle Sherlock and his crime-solving partner, Watson, Seven Seas also notes that the first book will include an arc about characters appearing in another of their currently running series, Dance in the Vampire Bund. On an amusing note, the PR specifically states the release date of March 2012 for this volume was chosen to coincide with the theatrical release of the new Sherlock Holmes movie starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law.

The first omnibus book for Young Miss Holmes originally appeared on Amazon.ca in early October. It’s full price is listed as $18.99/CAN for a page count of 384 pages. It isn’t mentioned in the PR if a digital edition will be made available as with their recent omnibus release of My Boyfriend is a Vampire.

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Categories: Licensing, News
Tags: Seven Seas, Sherlock Holmes

Otaku USA: On The Shelf – November 2, 2011

By Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, November 1, 2011

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Happy Halloween! Albeit a day belated. I hope everyone’s enjoying some tasty candy, be it from the day itself or via the wonders of discount candy shelves here in November. Hard to argue the joy of sitting down with a stack of new books and a box of little chocolate bars to rummage through.

There are some exciting books out this week and I found myself almost as eager to let others know about them as I was to get them myself. Vertical’s the hard-hitter with No Longer Human (Vol.01) and Princess Knight (Vol. 01). I reviewed No Longer Human earlier this week.

You can read my thoughts, summaries and the full list of books out this week over at my On The Shelf article at Otaku USA.

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Categories: On The Shelf
Tags: Bandai, Manga, Otaku USA, Seven Seas, Usamaru Furuya, Vertical Inc, Viz Media

PR: Seven Seas To Release Young Miss Holmes…

By Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, November 1, 2011

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SEVEN SEAS TO RELEASE YOUNG MISS HOLMES WITH VAMPIRE BUND CAMEO

(LOS ANGELES, November 1, 2011) – Seven Seas Entertainment is pleased to announce the release of Kaoru Shintani’s all ages manga Young Miss Holmes, featuring classic Sherlock Holmes tales retold from the point-of-view of his precocious niece, Crystal “Christie” Margaret Hope. Young Miss Holmes (known as “Christie: High Tension” in Japan) is a new manga series for fans of Sherlock Holmes and Nancy Drew, presented in two-volumes-in-one omnibus format.

The first omnibus reimagines several famous Sherlock Holmes cases, including a multi-chapter story arc “The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire” which features an all ages version of Mina Tepes, the vampire heroine from New York Times bestselling manga series Dance in the Vampire Bund. This story sheds further light on the past history of some of Dance in the Vampire Bund’s main characters. The first omnibus also features an epilogue illustrated by Dance in the Vampire Bund’s artist/creator Nozomu Tamaki.

Young Miss Holmes Casebook 1-2:

Christie Holmes is a prodigy. At ten years old, she’s as familiar with the sciences and classics as any older student at Cambridge or Oxford. And her facility with logic is reminiscent of her uncle, the eminent Sherlock Holmes himself. So, what’s a brilliant young girl to do when her parents are away in India, leaving her behind in the care of maids and servants? Solve mysteries, of course.

Along with her giant hound Nelson, Christie’s implacable curiosity leads her from one dangerous adventure to another, often joining forces with Uncle Sherlock and Doctor Watson on their famed investigations. Christie may look pint-sized, but her clever mind is never to be underestimated!

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Seven Seas, Sherlock Holmes

Alice & Angels – Seven Seas Announces Two New Manga Titles

By Lissa Pattillo on Friday, October 21, 2011

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Every publisher can’t make it to every convention but Seven Seas still made their presence known in the manga world with two manga licenses during New York Comic Con this past weekend. It was a bit of a shame that the timing of their news meant it got buried in the convention shuffle. That said though, you can certainly see a good reason why they chose to do it then.

Seven Seas’ first new manga license is Alice in the Country of Clover. The title is a sequel to Alice in the Country of Hearts, which Yen Press just announced having during their NYCC panel. The story is a take on the classic Alice in Wonderland story but with a pretty-boy harem twist. One series split between two publishers – that’d be bizarre even without the ‘coincidence’ of the same weekend!

It sounds like Seven Seas is going the extra mile with this release too. “Each new volume will be released in oversized editions that feature impressive artwork and color pin ups.” Their press release also states that, despite events continuing after its prequel series, Alice in the Country of Clover can still be read as a standalone. Seven Seas is releasing the title in story-archs with the first book due out in June 2012.

Their second title is Angel Para Bellum, a series by the same artist as the popular but controversial Dance in the Vampire Bund. They describe it as “a new manga series about sexy angels vs. demons”. It’s about a young man, orphaned like so many lead characters are, who finds himself on the run from demons with only two gun-wielding angels to protect him. I have to admit, said angels look pretty snazzy.

If you want more information on the titles, you can read Seven Seas series’ synopsis and the release dates under the cut. Also my congrats to Seven Seas for what looks like another successful step forward into manga publishing again!

Read more…

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Tags: Alice in the Country of..., Manga, Seven Seas

PR: Seven Seas Announces Alice in the Country of Clover…

By Lissa Pattillo on Friday, October 14, 2011

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Seven Seas Announces Alice in the Country of Clover & Angel Para Bellum

LOS ANGELES, October 14, 2011 – Seven Seas Entertainment is delighted to announce two hot new licenses: Angel Para Bellum, a new manga series about sexy angels vs. demons by the artist of New York Times bestseller Dance in the Vampire Bund, and Alice in the Country of Clover, the follow-up manga series to New York Times bestseller Alice in the Country of Hearts.

Alice in the Country of Clover is an ongoing manga series that reimagines Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland in a sly, shoujo style. This new series is a follow-up to QuinRose’s bestselling Alice in the Country of Hearts, but can be read independently. In June 2012, the one shot, Alice in the Country of Clover: Bloody Twins will kick off the series, followed by Alice in the Country of Clover: Cheshire Cat Waltz volume 1 in July 2012 and Alice in the Country of Clover: Cheshire Cat Waltz volume 2 in September 2012. Each new volume will be released in oversized editions that feature impressive artwork and color pin ups.

Seven Seas has published eleven volumes and one side story of the ongoing series Dance in the Vampire Bund, which repeatedly hits the New York Times Bestseller manga list with each new release. Creator Nozomu Tamaki’s latest work, Angel Para Bellum, offers fans of Dance in the Vampire Bund a thrilling new storyline with the amazing art his fans have grown to admire. Angel Para Bellum volume 1 will be released in July 2012, and volume 2 will follow October 2012.

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Alice in the Country of..., Seven Seas