News Licensing Announcements.

[Drmke]

I don't like it when companies release onibuse releases as the only choice when buying a series. It makes my shelf look weird when I have 14 volumes of the regular size Air Gear next to a giant version with 3 volumes it in....0_o

 

[Kaiten]

VIZ omnibus editions have been very good, of the highest quality. Better paper, better print, usually restored color pages. The upcoming Del Ray ones worry me a bit. They're only doing them because they're licensing agreement runs out after 2010 and they want to crank certain series out before Kodansha takes direct control of there catalog. I don't trust them to do a particularly good job. The bigger size doesn't bother me. I own a lot of VIZ Signature series which are not standard tankobon size.

 

[Drmke]

So is Del Ray losing all rights to publish Kodansha manga in '10 or are they jsut renewing their license? I know Tokyopop lost the right to release them or at least that's what I've heard.

 

[Kaiten]

There is nothing official to speak of yet. But, Kodansha launched their own U.S. imprint with the re - release of Akira and Ghost in the Shell a few months ago. They claim Kodansha U.S. will be for archival releases but I doubt they will renew their contract with Del Ray in 2011. I expect they want there own equivilent of VIZ, if they renew that would be impossible.

 

[Horsee]

Chuang Yi (english, Singapore):
After School Charisma
MiXiM 11

Btw, Chuang Yi uses dust jacket, and you can get them on ebay (they also publish in Australia).

 

[Kaiten]

Bakuman, volume 1: August, 2010
Hyde + Closer, volume 1: July, 2010
Toriko, volume 1: June, 2010

Moderator Notice:
we have dates now ~ Akiyama

 

[Akiyama]

Color Bleach+: The Bleach Official Bootleg - July 20, 2010

 

[Mushashi]

There is nothing official to speak of yet. But, Kodansha launched their own U.S. imprint with the re - release of Akira and Ghost in the Shell a few months ago. They claim Kodansha U.S. will be for archival releases but I doubt they will renew their contract with Del Ray in 2011. I expect they want there own equivilent of VIZ, if they renew that would be impossible.

Kodanasha are most definetly going to go againset viz head on. del rey hasnt been a big enough company to do that. del rey will have the titles for another year. ( for people that dont know series that have been recently intruduced into english publication dont do very well and almost no money is made from them in the first 12 months) kodanasha will use del rey to get the series exposed. then once del rey has made kodanashas series popular they wont renew there contract and kodansha will cash in on all the popularity del rey made. and del rey will be left with a few titles they cant sell . kinda cruel thing to do but only way to go up againset viz. they got quite a head start.

What im looking forward to when kodanasha takes over. super competitive prices. because its a bigger company then del rey they can afford to be a bit cheaper like viz. = the result supply increases price goes down and demand stays the same. More manga for our doller

I don't like it when companies release onibuse releases as the only choice when buying a series. It makes my shelf look weird when I have 14 volumes of the regular size Air Gear next to a giant version with 3 volumes it in....0_o

although i agree with you i don't like it when omnibuses are the only choice. i am extremy happy with the Vizbig issues as kaiten said. good quality paper. colour pages that were not included in the tankabons. (im thinking of Rken). and slightly cheaper. although the bigger size doesnt bother me what so ever. they are spacing them to far apart. so im like you i dont like things looking different on my shelf. so i bought the vizbigs. for vagabond up to 5. then i bought the signiture issues 1-30, and bought the jap tankabon for 31. but from the rumours ive heard the del rey omnibusses arent going to be to great. no bigger offcut page apparently regular quality paper and its going to be 40 australian, (30) US. but as i said above kodanasha will take over in the next few years. and del rey will likely die unless they pull something out of the bag.

 

[Kaiten]

I like VIZbig because they are basically Bunko editions, as Mushashi said, there are a lot of extras. Check out Del Ray's first Samurai Deeper ominbus, it's just a two volume tank. It's obvious there just trying to churn them out before the clock strikes midnight.

I have not been impressed by Del Ray's choice of series over the years. To many good series get overlooked (Bloody Monday) or delayed (SZS) while to many crap, second tier series get licensed (not gonna name, look through a book store to see what I'm saying). Kodansha will probably have better taste in their own series.

 

[Mushashi]

i just got back from cheacking out samuair deeper. it sucks regular paper at a more expensive price. they are just trying to get fast releases. and yeh whoever is incharge of publication there is an idiot. air gear > bloody monday pssh

 

[Kaiten]

While I don't want to admit it, Air Gear was a series that needed to be licensed. It's one of the more popular manga in ShoMag. Bloody Monday....... Really should have been. Ever since the drama ended it's become one of Magazines flagships as well. Maybe Kodansha is with holding it, hoping it becomes one of their U.S. branches early hits.

 

[Mushashi]

i had not thought of that kaiten. someone just coming into the U.S market they will want to get recognized the fastest way they can. yes i agree that air gear needed to be licensed. i think bloody monday would have been better. if only theyd done both thanks for the idea. im actuely really looking forward to kodanasha taking over. im fed up with del rey.

 

[Kaiten]

Don't forget Air Gear is older, licensed a few years before Bloody Monday even started. What I do understand is Del Ray's reluctance to license sports series; virtually every one licensed has done terrible. PoT is an exception, maybe ES21. Don't think so though. Unfortunately not licensing sports means ignoring some of Kodansha's most famous titles, new and old.

 

[Horsee]

Kirby (by Hirokazu Hikawa): September 7, 2010

More Del Rey omnibus:
Suzuka 13/14/15: August 31, 2010
Hell Girl 7/8/9: October 26, 2010

Chuang Yi publisher (Singapore):
Twinkle Stars (by Natsuki Takaya) (in english)

Some new english covers:

Spoiler

 

[Drmke]

I like how VIZ has started trying to keep their Shonen Jump line covers looking like the originals.

 

[Mushashi]

i dont think it will stay like that at all. they always kept spine pics and covers the same. but i dont think that bakuman desighn will be final. and what is with them touching colours GTFO

 

[Drmke]

i dont think it will stay like that at all. they always kept spine pics and covers the same. but i dont think that bakuman desighn will be final. and what is with them touching colours GTFO

I actually think they will keep them the same. They started keeping the original design with Eyeshield 21 and it spread to a lot of their SJA line. Then they started doing with newer series that were just part of the regular SJ line like Tegami Bachi. So I have high hopes that they keep Bakuman the way they have it there.

 

[Mushashi]

i hope your right. but no excuses for fucking up the colours. and they better not change spines half way through publishing or ill send them sht in a box for a month

 

[Drmke]

What colors did they mess up? I don't usually pay enough attention to notice these things.

 

[Akiyama]

He's talking about the title 'Bakuman', they added in the blue fading it to black. Not really surprising coming from Viz. They like to make their volumes colorful and have themes. I'm sure vol 2 will have a different color. I can overlook this small change, I'm just glad they didn't put a huge stamp in the middle like they do with others in their shonen jump advanced section.