Special big Sunday paper edition

My big week of post-C2E2 madness is over, and I’m so far behind, I figured I would just do a big catch-up post. Think of this as the MangaBlog version of the Sunday New York Times, oversized and bulging with the week’s news, for you to peruse at your leisure over bagels and lox. Enjoy!

Jason Thompson devotes his latest House of 1000 Manga column to yaoi manga creator Hinako Takanaga (Little Butterfly), who “isn’t wildly weird like est em and Yoshinaga, but is just plain good at what she does.” It’s worth checking out the column just for Thompson’s little essay on BL at the beginning.

At The Comics Journal, Ryan Holmberg looks at “An Introduction to Gekiga Manga,” which ran in, of all places, Shonen Magazine, in 1970.

Sean Gaffney takes a look at next week’s new manga, and he doesn’t find much to be excited about. Meanwhile, the Manga Village team checks out the past week’s new releases.

Erica Friedman posts the latest edition of Yuri Network News at Okazu.

Jennifer LeBlanc winds up her interview with Hinako Takanaga at The Yaoi Review.

Jake Forbes talks about his days as an editor at Tokyopop and his work on the Return to Labyrinth series at Words That Stay.

Comic Book Girl explains why she is so thrilled that Sailor Moon is getting a new release in the U.S. (Via Comics Worth Reading.) Anna discusses her own history with Sailor Moon at Manga Report, and Tony Yao posts his memories at Manga Therapy.

While it’s not official, Love Hina may be coming back: AstroNerdBoy spotted a listing for a new Kodansha edition at RightStuf. Bandai Entertainment has licensed two manga based on the videogame Tales of the Abyss.

Kate Dacey looks at a classic from earlier days, Marvel’s colorized and flipped edition of Katsuhiro Otomo’s Memories.

Linda, a.k.a. Animemiz, is hosting this month’s Manga Moveable Feast at Anime Diet, and Aria is the manga du jour. That link will be constantly updated as people add their own contributions, and there is already quite a bit there.

David Welsh reviews the top five license requests on his wish list and asks his readers what sort of careers they would like to see featured in manga.

The Banana Fish roundtable continues at Manga Bookshelf with Melinda Beasi, Robin Brenner, Connie C., Khursten Santos, Michelle Smith, and Eva Volin discussing vols. 14-16.

Melinda Beasi looks at three manga about the arts at Manga Bookshelf.

Led by Daniella Orihuela-Gruber of All About Manga and Michael Huang of Anime Diet, Anime and Manga Bloggers for Japan has raised over $4,000 for two charities, Shelterbox and Doctors Without Borders. Stu Levy has been asking manga readers outside Japan to send messages of encouragement, and the Ventura Star has an article about one anime club’s response.

Another manga milestone: The word “hentai” made it into the Oxford English Dictionary.

News from Japan: Fullmetal Alchemist creator Hiromu Arakawa has a new series in the works, Silver Spoon (Gin no Saji). It will launch in the April 6 issue of Weekly Shonen Sunday. The first part of the Tokyo youth protection ordinance goes into effect April 1, and Mainichi rounds up some reactions from publishers, including Tokyopop CEO Stu Levy:

Levy said that, from most foreigners’ point of view, some sexual content in manga seems to be “very shocking” and it is natural to have this kind of content restricted as it is in the United States.

The aftermath of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster continues, with some disruptions to the industry but outpourings of support from creators. Shonen Jump creators put some encouraging artwork up at that magazine’s website. Kodansha is putting six of its manga magazines online, for free and without ads; more details will be forthcoming next week. And ANN has the latest list of delayed anime and manga releases.

Reviews: Melinda Beasi and Michelle Smith discuss some new manga that might lift their spirits at Manga Bookshelf. Other reviews of note:

Collin David on The 14th Dalai Lama: A Manga Biography (Graphic Novel Reporter)
James Fleenor on vols. 1-3 of Black Gate (Anime Sentinel)
Connie on vol. 15 of Blade of the Immortal (Slightly Biased Manga)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 3 of Bunny Drop (Comics Worth Reading)
Bruce P. on Bustician (Okazu)
Emily Kazanecki on vol. 6 of Cirque du Freak (Manga Life)
Erica Friedman on vol. 2 of Comic Yuri Hime (Okazu)
Cynthia on Crimson Snow (Boys Next Door)
Alexander Hoffman on Disappearance Diary (Manga Widget)
Carlo Santos on vol. 5 of Dogs: Bullets and Carnage (ANN)
Carl Kimlinger on vol. 1 of Eensy Weensy Monster (ANN)
AstroNerdBoy on vols. 8, 9, and 10 of Fairy Tail (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime and Manga Blog)
Erica Friedman on vol. 1 of Girls Love (Okazu)
Dave Ferraro on vol. 1 of Goong: The Royal Palace (Comics-and-More)
Todd Douglass on vol. 2 of High School of the Dead (Anime Maki)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 23 of Hikaru No Go (Comics Worth Reading)
Kate Dacey on How to Pen & Ink: The Manga Startup Guide (The Manga Critic)
Rob McMonigal on vol. 5 of Jormungand (Panel Patter)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 2 of K-ON! (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 1 of Liberty Vocational: Will Supervillains Be on the Final? (Comics Worth Reading)
Anna on vol. 4 of Library Wars: Love and War (Manga Report)
Connie on vol. 3 of Lone Wolf and Cub (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 5 of Mad Love Chase (Slightly Biased Manga)
Lexie on vol. 1 of Magic Knight Rayearth (Poisoned Rationality)
Nicola on vol. 4 of Maoh: Juvenile Remix (Back to Books)
Todd Douglass on vol. 8 of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (Anime Maki)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 8 of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Crystal White on vol. 8 of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (Japanator)
Amy Grockl on Mistress Fortune (Manga Village)
Danica Davis on vol. 2 of Neko Ramen (Graphic Novel Reporter)
Erica Friedman on vol. 2 of Nobari no Mori no Otome-tachi (Okazu)
Nicola on vol. 1 of Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan (Back to Books)
Connie on vol. 37 of Oh My Goddess (Slightly Biased Manga)
Alexander Hoffman on Oishii Kankei (Manga Widget)
Courtney Kraft on Oishinbo: Fish, Sushi, and Sashimi (Graphic Novel Reporter)
Michelle Smith on vols. 46-56 of One Piece (Soliloquy in Blue)
Michael Buntag on vol. 1 of Peepo Choo (NonSensical Words)
Cynthia on Pen & Ink (Boys Next Door)
Victoria Martin on vol. 3 of Pig Bride (Manga Life)
Emily Kazanecki on Romeo x Juliet (Manga Life)
Connie on Scarlet (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 4 of Seiho Boys’ High School (Slightly Biased Manga)
Christopher Mautner on A Single Match (The Comics Journal)
Alexander Hoffman on Soil (Manga Widget)
Andre Paploo on Taro and the Magic Pencil (Kuriousity)
Penny Kenny on vol. 3 of Twin Spica (Manga Life)
Ash Brown on Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide (Experiments in Manga)

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