News Licensing Announcements.

[Akiyama]

new Viz titles between August-December

Black Bird-8/4/2009
Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You-8/4/2009
Ponyo Film Comic-8/4/2009
Waqwaq-8/4/2009
Dogs-8/11/2009
Ôoku: The Inner Chambers-8/11/2009
Tegami Bachi-9/1/2009
Oishinbo: Vegetables-9/15/2009
Yu-Gi-Oh! R-10/6/2009
RIN-NE-10/20/2009
What a Wonderful World!-10/20/2009
Beast Master-11/3/2009
GoGo Monster-11/17/2009
Oishinbo: The Joy of Rice-11/17/2009
Butterflies, Flowers-12/1/2009

 

[Kaiten]

VIZ's line up is amazing! I've already bought KimiTodo and Black Bird, I'll get Tegami Bachi as soon as it's out. What a Wonderful World is what I'm really looking forward to, volume 2 still hasn't been scanlated. Inio is one of my favorite mangaka. Dogs and Ooku are great series, not sure I'd pay for the tankobon though.

 

[Akiyama]

I'm still on the fence if I should buy Dogs or not. I always buy in bulk and I'm not sure what to buy with my Ikigami vol. 2 and 20th century boys. I still need to pick up Pluto but that can always wait. I think I will buy Tegami now since the second volume won't be out until March. I wish Bakuman and Toriko was already out.

I really enjoyed Children of the Sea, at least all the chapters that were on One Manga.

 

[Kaiten]

When it doubt I always buy the unscanlated series. Since Dogs is translated every month, 20th Century Boys and Pluto are complete, I'd go with Ikigami. At some point I'll start buying it too. BTW: Children of the Sea volume 1 is not to be missed. VIZ's release of volume 1 and volume 2 has yet to be scanlated. I'm really looking forward to more IKKI series coming over. I really want Dorohedoro!

 

[Horsee]

Azumanga Daioh (Omnibus) re-release by Yen Press.

It gets all the original color pages and an updated translation. So it'll be better than ADV edition. And the Monthly Sunday chapters are not included, just the original 4 volumes.

The first Soul Eater volume get a regular and a slipcased edition too.

It seems the slipcased edition has cancelled.

 

[busb0y]

One question.

I love the manga Yotsuba&! and I'm planning on buying the volumes, slowly but surely. ADV licensed it but then canceled, now I see YenPress licensed it again and will release in September. Is it worth waiting for YenPress?

Looking at the covers... I definitely like how ADV did it.

ADV's, YenPress'

 

[Kaiten]

Don't buy the old ADV versions. Yen is a much better company, I expect some sort of improvement, even if it's only the paper and print quality. Since Yen will be handling volume six and above you'd be able to keep the early volumes uniform with the newer ones.

 

[busb0y]

Hmmmm I see... somebody needs to tell YenPress to tidy up those covers because they look bad.

 

[Kaiten]

Kodansha has allowed their North American and German licensing agreement with Tokyopop to expire, meaning they will no longer be allowed to continue any incomplete series or continue printing previously released volumes. The status of Tokyopop issued titles such as Samurai Deeper Kyo, Love Hina, Chobits, and GTO remains unknown. Dark Horse has also de - listed their Kodansha titles, Akira and Ghost in the Shell.

 

[Drmke]

Nothing pisses me off more than a company dropping a series/letting there licensing run out of a series I'm buying. That's why I'm glad I never bought any Samurai Deeper Kyo lol

Is there any word on Viz planning on releasing the Dogs volume Stray Dogs Howling in the Dark? Its the one that comes before the first actual volume.

 

[Kaiten]

The Stray Dogs volume was released as Volume 0 last spring, it's available.

Samurai Deeper and Rave will be completed by Del Ray, in omnibus form from what I understand. Dark Horse picked up the old CLAMP series; Clover is already out, omnibus versions of Magic Knight, Cardcaptor, will follow. At some point expect Del Ray or Kodansha U.S. to reissue the other older series.

 

[Drmke]

Well that's good news for people who buy the series getting moved except they will cost a few extra dollars. And thanks for the info on Stray Dogs.

 

[Nami]

GK shared this with us, so I thought its good to let everyone knows too "Kodansha Ends All Licensed Manga Contracts with Tokyopop: Tokypop announced Monday Kodansha has ended Tokyopop's licence.... " .

My guess is the bad economy results in TP not being able to pay the loyalty fees or whatever to Kodansha, so the deal's off. Anyway, those who bought or still buying their tanks, better stock up quick.

 

[Kaiten]

I'm not sure it's the economy so much as Kodansha hasn't licensed new series to Tokyopop in five years. They've been working exclusively with Del Ray in the U.S. and Canada since. They also launched Kodansha U.S. around this time last year, though nothing has come of it. I think they want to move their older series there or to their current business partners.

Tokyopop has reorganized, working closely with Kadokawa Shoten and resuming their relationship with Hakusensha. Like Yen Press, which mostly works with Square/Enix, they've been doing much better focusing on titles by the medium size publishers.

---

Chi's Sweet Home has been licensed by Vertical Publishing. Volume 1 has a June 2010 release date on Amazon U.S. and Canada.

 

[sabret00the]

Why do us Brit's always get caught up in this American mess?

 

[Akiyama]

New Viz titles January-March '10
Natsume's Book of Friends-Jan. 5, 2010
Crown of Love-Feb. 2, 2010
Biomega-Feb. 9, 2010
Cactus's Secret-Mar. 2, 2010
Ristorante Paradiso-Mar. 16, 2010

 

[Horsee]

Yen Press (2010 - 1st half):

January 2010
Black Butler - Yana Toboso
Laon - Hyun You and YoungBin Kim
One Fine Day - Sirial

March 2010
Bunny Drop - Yumi Unita

April 2010
Spice and Wolf - Isuna Hasekura and Keito Koume

May 2010
KOBATO. - CLAMP
Dragon Girl - Toru Fujieda
My Girlfriend’s a Geek - PENTABU and Rize Shinba
Sasameke - Ryuji Gotsubo

June 2010
Omamori Himari - Milan Matra

 

[Kaiten]

First of the announcements from New York Anime Festival:

Vertical Inc.

Futatsu no Spica
Peepo Choo
70 Oku no Hari
Chi's Sweet Home (officially confirmed)

Tokyopop

.hack//Link ~Kōkon no Kishidan~
Priest: Purgatory (original story tie in to the upcoming American movie adaption)
Boku ga Utau to Kimi wa Warau Kara
Ratman
Seikon no Quasar

Del Ray

Koko ni Iru yo!
Rave Master
Arisa
Youkai Navi Runa

---

VIZ

Gente ~ Ristorante no Hitobito
Library Wars: Love and War
Ningyou Kyuutei Gakudan
Kami - Sama Hajimemashita
Vampire Knight: Official Handbook

 

[Xadyu]

Yes, I was waiting for Library Wars, finally, 'bout damn time.

 

[Kaiten]

I'm a bit underwhelmed by VIZ and Del Ray's announcements. Where is Neuro, where is Liar Game? What about Bloody Monday? To many big properties left on the table.