Ken Akamatsu on the future of manga

Lots going on in the manga-world today! I’m collecting Tokyopop shutdown reactions in a separate post, which I will probably put up later today; feel free to send me links in comments.

Lori Henderson has the latest all-ages comics and manga at Good Comics for Kids.

It’s Pick of the Week time again at Manga Bookshelf, where Melinda Beasi, Kate Dacey, Michelle Smith, and David Welsh discuss their favorites from this week’s list.

Erica Friedman updates us on all the latest yuri news at Okazu.

Deb Aoki talks to the Kodansha folks about their upcoming new edition of Sailor Moon.

At The Hooded Utilitarian, Adam Stephanides takes strong exception to Drawn + Quarterly’s practice of flipping manga.

Something that got lost in all the Tokyopop talk is the fact that Viz is quietly dropping Gin Tama. Khursten Santos thinks it’s remarkable that it was ever licensed at all.

Seven Seas is adding the manhwa My Boyfriend Is a Vampire to their fall list, according to Lissa Pattillo.

Marie Mutsuki Mockett explains why Boys Over Flowers is a must-read book at NPR.

2chan.us translates a fascinating conversation between Ken Akamatsu and Kentaro Takekuma about Akamatsu’s digital manga portal, J-Comi, and the future of manga in Japan.

In the wake of Tokyopop’s demise, Matt Blind sketches out his own vision for an American manga publisher.

Mommy does the shopping, Daddy does … something else: Caddy points out the traditional gender roles in Chi’s Sweet Home at A Feminist Otaku.

If you’re going to be in the New York area on May 10, drop by Kinokuniya Bookstore: Natsume Ono, creator of Ristorante Paradiso, House of Five Leaves, and not simple, will be there.

News from Japan: Fruits Basket manga-ka Natsuki Takaya is working on a new series, Liselotte and Witch’s Forest (Liselotte to Majo no Mori), to launch in May in Hana to Yume. And Cross Game manga-ka Mitsuru Adachi is also launching a new series, another baseball story titled Asaoka Kōkō Yakyū-Bu Nisshi – Over Fence (Asaoka High School Baseball Team Journal – Over Fence)

Reviews: The Manga Bookshelf gang rounds up the latest releases in their Bookshelf Briefs column. Omar posts some short reviews of recent releases at About Heroes. Ash Brown recaps a week of manga reading at Experiments in Manga. Anna looks at some Blu manga at Manga Report.

Deb Aoki on vol. 1 of Blue Exorcist (About.com)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Blue Exorcist (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Connie on Claiming His Pregnant Wife (Slightly Biased Manga)
Lissa Pattillo on vol. 1 of Clean Freak: Fully Equipped (ANN)
Julie Opipari on vol. 9 of Dance in the Vampire Bund (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Ash Brown on vol. 9 of Death Note (Experiments in Manga)
Lissa Pattillo on vol. 4 of Dengeki Daisy (ANN)
Connie on vol. 1 of ES: Eternal Sabbath (Slightly Biased Manga)
AstroNerdBoy on vol. 15 of Gakuen Alice (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime and Manga Blog)
Snow Wildsmith on vols. 1-3 of Genkaku Picasso (Good Comics for Kids)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 3 of House of Five Leaves (The Comic Book Bin)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 3 of Kingyo Used Books (The Comic Book Bin)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 3 of Kingyo Used Books (Comics Worth Reading)
Julie Opipari on The Millionaire’s Revenge (Manga Maniac Cafe)
Connie on A Most Suitable Wife (Slightly Biased Manga)
David Welsh on Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths (The Manga Curmudgeon)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 1 of Sakura Hime: The Legend of Princess Sakura (Comics Worth Reading)
Khursten Santos on Solanin (Otaku Champloo)
Connie on vol. 2 of The Story of Saiunkoku (Slightly Biased Manga)
Kate Dacey on vol. 3 of The Story of Saiunkoku (The Manga Critic)
Ai Kano on vol. 4 of Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee (Animanga Nation)
Erica Friedman on vol. 10 of Tsubomi (Okazu)

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