Call for Participation: Osamu Tezuka Manga Movable Feast

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Every month, the manga blogging community holds an event that writer Matt Blind dubbed the “Manga Movable Feast.” It’s a week-long virtual book club in which we discuss a favorite artist, series, or genre in-depth. A new blogger takes on “hosting” responsibilities each month, determining the “menu” and ensuring that all the participants’ contributions are [...]

Open Thread: What Tezuka Title Would You Like to See Licensed Next?

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If you haven’t already heard the news, it looks like DMP will be releasing an English-language edition of Osamu Tezuka’s Barbara (1973-74) in July 2012, thanks to a well-orchestrated Kickstarter campaign that raised over $6,700 in just two days. I’m curious to see what other titles DMP is hoping to license this way, as the [...]

Department of Excuses

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If you’re wondering why postings have been scarce this week, I offer you Exhibit A, a photograph of our newest family member, Fluffy, also known as Eartha Kitty, Fluffernutter, and Lady Jane Grey:  

MMF: Horror Manga from A to Z

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Looking for a spooky manga to get you in the right frame of mind for Halloween? Below is a partial list of all the horror titles that I’ve reviewed here at The Manga Critic. Keep in mind that my definition of horror is similar to MMF host Lori Henderson’s: I view horror as any type [...]

Manga Collectors Wanted!

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The people have spoken! The first installment of Show Us Your Stuff proved so popular that I’ve decided to make it a regular column. If you have a library that you’d like to see featured here at The Manga Critic, I’d like to hear from you. Please send me a brief email in which you [...]

Manga Movable Feast Schedule, 2011-12

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What is the Manga Movable Feast? Simply put, it’s a virtual book club for manga lovers. Some months we read a particular book or series; other months we focus on the work of a single author; and other months we cast a wider net and explore a genre. Each month, a different member of the [...]

Open Thread: Manga and Genre

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One of the stated goals of my Manga for Newcomers project is to create a resource that would enable a fan of The Lord of the Rings, Iron Chef, or Star Trek find a manga that maps directly onto her reading or TV viewing preferences. To ensure this resource appeals to a variety of readers [...]

MMF: Mermaid Saga and Rin-ne

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Digging into The Manga Critic archives, I made a surprising discovery: though I’ve read almost every Rumiko Takahashi story that’s been translated into English, I haven’t reviewed much of her work. The three reviews I did find explored manga from two very different stages of her career. The first, Mermaid Saga, ran on and off [...]

Essential Reading: Matt Thorn on TOKYOPOP

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If you read only one article about TOKYOPOP’s demise, make it Matt Thorn’s The TokyoPop Effect, in which he examines TOKYOPOP’s business model. It’s a damning critique that documents the impact of TOKYOPOP’s cost-cutting measures on the entire US manga industry. Thorn does more than castigate TOKYOPOP for being a manga “sweatshop,” however; he places [...]

New Feature: Bookshelf Briefs

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If you’re a regular Manga Critic reader, you know that I’m as fond of writing short reviews as I am of writing long ones. It gives me great pleasure, therefore, to announce a new, site-wide feature called Bookshelf Briefs. Each week, Melinda Beasi, Michelle Smith, David Welsh, and I will be teaming up to produce [...]