Manga Files

Digital Manga Publishing has announced a “Pre-Order/Demand for Publication Web-A-Thon“. Basically, fans can get advance copies of selected yaoi titles by committing to buy months in advance, effectively paying DMP’s print bills for them.

The only title announced so far is the novel All You Need Is Love. It’s scheduled for release at the end of January 2010, but if DMP gets $3,500 before the end of September, those pre-purchasers will get the book at the end of October.

If they get the money earlier, the “book will be printed and copies will be sent off to those who have participated in this program immediately.” If they don’t get the money by the deadline, then the book keeps the original release date, and those who pre-ordered are sent the book then.

All of this is being handled via PayPal, which makes me nervous. There are certain guarantees that protect the customer, but they’re often time-limited, and with such advance timing, the buyer may lose those protections if anything goes wrong. There seems to be no mention of refunds if the purchaser changes their mind. Or what if someone moves before the books are shipped? Brigid has some additional points, about yaoi fans being the right group to start with because of their dedication, and wondering whether the quality will differ.

DMP has reason to encourage ordering direct from them — they get the full cover price instead of having to give half of it away to distributors. And I guess devoted fans may find that getting a desired book three months early is worth tying up their money for that time. On the other hand, this seems like another example of pushing responsibility onto the customer: “You want it? Put your money where your mouth is.”

Would you be willing to preorder an anticipated book this way?

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In contrast to my pessimism, it looks like Aria Book 5 will appear after all. (An earlier offering of the book was cancelled at the beginning of the year.) Brigid got an email from Tokyopop Marketing Director Marco Pavia saying that volume 5 will be out in November. Of course, plans (and the economy) might change by then, but for now, watch for the September Previews catalog for ordering information.

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Based on the completely unofficial survey I posted, Viz’s coming price rise is unlikely to affect their sales negatively.

60% of respondents selected “No, I will buy the same titles I follow now.” Only 21% chose “Yes, I will buy fewer Viz titles.” I expected more price resistance, myself.

I know I’m looking for cheaper ways to get manga. Borders has frequent coupons ranging from 15-40%, which helps a lot, but they’re only good on in-stock books. If they don’t have the title on the shelf, they will no longer order it for you, instead telling you to use their online site. No, thanks, not at full price.

Amazon.com has the option of used titles, and they have an excellent buyer protection program, but once you add in $4 a title shipping, the used books are the same price as the new ones.

If I’m going to order online, I’ll use DeepDiscount.com, which sells many $10 titles at $8 with free shipping. That’s the best deal I’ve found — do you know of a better one?

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Thanks to a reader comment in my post on Tokyopop’s varying pricing, I was made aware that Viz appears to be standardizing on higher prices later this year. Previously, Shonen Jump titles were $7.99, while Shojo Beat books were $8.99. (A discrepancy that caused some conversation back in 2006. In that post, Christopher Butcher predicted this price rise, three years early.)

I checked out some series I follow on Amazon. The only Shonen Jump book I buy regularly is Hikaru no Go. Book 16, due in August, is still listed at the usual $7.95. Book 17, due November 3, is $9.99.

The same is true of Naruto and Eyeshield, just to check a couple.
Naruto Book 45, July 7, $7.95 — Book 46, October 6, $9.99.
Eyeshield 21 Book 27, August 4, $7.99 — Book 28, October 6, $9.99.

I read a lot more Shojo Beat titles, and the same is true of them. Here are just some samples:
High School Debut Book 11, September 1, $8.99 — Book 12, November 3, $9.99
Sand Chronicles Book 6, September 1, $8.99 — Book 7, January 5, 2010, $9.99
And the beloved Nana Book 18, September 1, $8.99 — Book 19, November 3, $9.99

(Wow, September 1 is going to be a great day for shojo manga. Must be targeting back-to-school shoppers.)

Overall, this isn’t particularly surprising. Publication prices are going up all over, and many people think manga’s all $10 or more anyway.

Update: Viz’s response is as follows: “VIZ Media made the decision to stay consistent with the pricing in the marketplace for this industry, which in some cases might be a slight increase from previous years.”

That makes sense to me. Will this change your buying habits at all?

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I’m looking at four title launches Tokyopop has coming out in June. (All prices in U.S. dollars.)

Takeru: Opera Susanoh Sword of the Devil Volume 1 is a standard format manga title, which means 192 pages for $10.99, their new price point. (But it’s selling at 20% off on Amazon, which puts it at $8.79. That may be why they shifted from $9.99 — under $10 books don’t get discounted as much as over $10 books do, so even though the cover price is more, the customer may end up paying less while feeling like they got more of a deal.)

The paper is flimsy, rough newsprint, and the cover also feels lightweight. The story is about an epic quest to find a magic sword to “restore balance” to the land. In other words, a common story type in manga, with nothing obviously setting it apart from many other tales, although the characters are attractive. It’s due out June 9.

Out a week earlier, on June 2, is Samurai Harem: Asu no Yoichi Volume 1. This is also 192 pages, also newsprint, but it’s $12.99 (which means Amazon has it at $9.55). Is the two-dollar raise because it’s got a Mature rating? I’m speculating that either the age restriction limits the potential audience, so a higher price is needed, or the company feels they can get more money out of an older customer.

As to the content, the first story page includes two different panty shots, a cleavage panel, and a dripping wet huge-breasted girl. That’s pretty much the purpose of the series, right there, although there’s some plot about country samurai boy coming to the city where he studies at a school with four hot girls and no adult supervision. I admire the back cover copy writers, who say, “Bushido, babes, and battle … in the great tradition of classic fanservice manga.” There are boob grabs, naked fantasies, panty shots, and panels filled with nothing but breasts. If you’re the audience for this, you know it, and yes, you probably will pay an extra $2 for it.

Tokyopop already knows that yaoi fans will pay more for their pleasures, which is why the Blu imprint starts at $14.99 (or $10.19 at a 32% discount). Gakuen Heaven-Nakajima, due June 16, is an alternate take (the author calls it a “parallel universe”) on the previous Gakuen Heaven manga in which new student Keita winds up with a different one of his fellow students at an all-boys school.

Yet for the same price as a standard-sized yaoi title, $14.99, you can get Gravitation Collection 1, a double-sized re-release of two previous volumes under one cover (also out June 16). Both for size and for content (it’s the best read from this bunch), this is definitely your best value. Just ignore the back cover, which promises a “gorgeous” collection — it’s the same thin cover and newsprint paper as the other books — and “hot exciting extras” (four sketchy head shots of characters).

Gravitation is shonen-ai (more dating, more hints, less sex than yaoi), and it’s soapy fun. Boys want to be rock stars, and the ride is quite emotional, especially when an older writer tells the wannabe singer exactly what he thinks of his lyrics. Portrait of a young man obsessed as a result.

The art is what I think of as 80s style. Not because it’s overdrawn or “girly”, but because it’s all big chins and poofy hair on top of the head and it reminds me of Boys Over Flowers. It’s a real page-turner, easy to zip through and plenty to enjoy in this big hunk of book.

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According to this magazine distributor, Viz’s girl-targeted manga anthology Shojo Beat is “ceasing publication with the July 2009 issue.” Subscribers will be switched to the male-focused Shonen Jump, which will probably not be satisfactory, since the only thing the two have in common are format and publisher; the content is very different.

Currently, subscription links at the Shojo Beat site return “Page not found”. Viz has not yet confirmed.

Update: David Welsh at the Comics Reporter has a statement from Viz confirming that the July 2009 issue (on newsstands June 16) will be the last.

… unfortunately in today’s difficult economic climate we felt the need to place our resources elsewhere at this time. Of course all of our great shojo manga titles previously serialized in Shojo Beat magazine will still be published and available as graphic novels under the Shojo Beat imprint from VIZ Media.

Shojo Beat subscribers will get a copy of the August issue of Shonen Jump with information on “subscription/refund options”.

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Tokyopop will be releasing Bizenghast Book 6 by M. Alice Legrow in August.

To promote the upcoming volume and allow readers to pick up the story, Tokyopop is putting the whole series online for free. (Smart move, since by the release of 6, it will be over a year since the last book came out in July 2008.)

Of course, there is a catch. Each book will only be available for one week.

• Book 1: Now (May 15)
• Book 2: May 22
• Book 3: May 29
• Book 4: June 5
• Book 5: June 12

But at that point, they’ll start putting Book 6 online. Many other publishers wouldn’t do that — they’d think that online readers wouldn’t bother to buy if they can read it for free. Be interesting to see how well this works for the company. At this point, I can’t see what they have to lose.

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As part of Asian Pacific Heritage Month this month, two New York Macy’s stores (Flushing and Herald Square) are holding Fruits Basket-themed events.

A costume contest has Fruits Basket merchandise as a prize. You can get your picture taken in front of themed backgrounds. Or best of all, a purchase of $100 or more gets you “a free copy of Fruits Basket Ultimate Edition Vol. 1, Fruits Basket DVD, and Fruits Basket Fan Book.”

Too bad this isn’t a nationwide promotion! That giveaway might get me reading the series again. Visit the stores this weekend for more information.

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I feel old, because I’m not sure exactly what this means, but I’d like to visit it if I’m ever in San Francisco.

VIZ Pictures and the J-Pop Center Project are proud to announce the opening of NEW PEOPLE, a vivid new permanent attraction opening this August in San Francisco’s historic Japantown! NEW PEOPLE is located in a striking 20,000 square foot structure and will bring the hottest examples of hip Japanese Pop Culture (J-Pop) to North America. NEW PEOPLE is the only destination in the U.S. devoted exclusively to J-Pop expressed though cutting edge film, art, fashion, and a variety of specialty boutiques and ongoing monthly events.

It sounds like a combination store/museum, but for all I know, it’s the base for a mind-control plot sweeping the country. Oh, wait, it seems that it’s also a theater:

With three stories above and a basement cinema below, NEW PEOPLE will offer the latest films, art, and retail brands from Japan. The spacious 143-seat underground cinema space is equipped with cutting edge High Definition digital projection and THX®-certified sound and is the soul of the NEW PEOPLE experience. Its core focus will be on some of the latest and hottest films from Japan, as well as an incredible legacy of classics, documentaries and anime –- making it the only cinema of its type in the United States.

It’s also got a boutique that will carry trendy clothing brands including Baby, The Stars Shine Bright; a cafe; and an art gallery. Aha! It’s mecca for U.S. Japanophiles! The Grand Opening is planned to be “an all-day outdoor music and performance event and gala” in August. Only three months to go!

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Commentary by Ed Sizemore

Yesterday, Deb Aoki linked to The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation Industry Awards Ballot. (The SPJA runs Anime Expo.)

Looking over the manga categories, I was unhappy with a couple of things. First, the categories were overly broad. For example, “Best Manga - Drama” means that series as diverse as 20th Century Boys, xxxHolic, and Fullmetal Alchemist could all be competing against each other. (If you think I’m exaggerating, the actual nominees are Monster, Kitchen Princess, and Ghost Talker’s Daydream Vol. 3.) I would prefer if each of these series were in a separate category.

My second problem is connected to the first. Given the breadth of these categories, there were too few choices available. Also, any ballot should have a write-in option. So instead of just cursing the darkness, I thought I would offer some light. Below is my own attempt at a sample ballot for manga awards.

Here are some explanatory notes on how I constructed this ballot.

• I wanted to create categories that would be specific enough to separate out major genres, but broad enough to allow a diversity of titles within each category.
• I wanted to keep the number of categories to a manageable size. I didn’t want a ballot of 50 categories. A dozen seems more than enough to capture the vast majority, if not all, titles being published.
• These categories are open to adjustment each year, Currently, there are enough food-related mangas to justify that category, but that may not be true in a couple of years. So that category might change to “video game adaptation” or “business-related”. Also, there should be a category in there just for the fun of it.
• The titles I put in each category are purely meant as examples. I wanted to give a feel for the diversity each category could embrace. I also tried to represent as many publishers as possible in my examples. My main concern was to nail down the categories first, then we could worry about what titles to nominate.

I offer this ballot as a jumping off point for discussion. So look it over and offer comments, criticism, and suggestions. After a while, I’ll incorporate your ideas and offer a new, improved ballot for your consideration. The idea is that next year SPJA, and others, will have a template for their own ballots that’s reflective of the entire scope of manga available.

1) Best Comedic Romance

1. Otomen
2. Happy Mania
3. Your & My Secret
4. Love*Com
5. ____________________

2) Best Dramatic Romance

1. Nana
2. Sukuza
3. High School Debut
4. Emma
5. ____________________

3) Best Urban Fantasy

1. xxxHolic
2. Nightmare Inspector: Yumekui Kenbun
3. Blood +
4. Ghost Talker’s Daydream
5. ____________________

4) Best Epic Adventure

1. Fullmetal Alchemist
2. Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles
3. One Piece
4. Inu-Yasha
5. ____________________

5) Best Kid’s Manga

1. Dinosaur Hour
2. Leave It to PET
3. Ninja Baseball Kyuma
4. Gon
5. ____________________

6) Best Series Overall

1. Pluto
2. 20th Century Boys
3. Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles
4. xxxHolic
5. ____________________

7) Best Drama (non-Romance)

1. 20th Century Boys
2. Me & the Devil Blues
3. Flat Earth/Exchange
4. Case Closed
5. ____________________

Best Comedy (non-Romance)

1. Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei
2. Even a Monkey Can Draw Manga
3. Crayon Shinchan
4. My Heavenly Hockey Club
5. ____________________

9) Best Horror/Suspense

1. Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service
2. Cat-Eyed Boy
3. Ghost Talker’s Daydream
4. Astral Project
5. ____________________

10) Best Reprint

1. Black Jack
2. Swan
3. Phoenix
4. The Drifting Life
5. ____________________

11) Best Food-Related Manga

1. Kitchen Princess
2. Yakitate! Japan
3. Oishinbo
4. Antique Bakery
5. ____________________

12) Best Light Novel

1. Another Xxxholic
2. Blood+: First Kiss
3. Moribito
4. Code Geass: Stage O Entrance
5. ____________________

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