Animanga in the News: 2/10/11

Here you will find a run down of today's anime and manga news! If anything sent waves through the anime and manga world today, you'll find it in this post! By the way, I'm saladesu, one of the translator-moderators of MH, and I'll be posting a post like this every day (as much as possible, anyway). Look forward to them ;)

If you would like to help in finding and translating news of this nature, please contact saladesu via PM ^^ Feel free to PM me any interesting bits of anime or manga news you find floating around the internet, too.




It seems that publishers are finally getting their act together and seriously making digitalized versions of their manga magazines. Shueisha is now making the whole JUMP SQ available as an iPad application and at an affordable price. One can expect that other publishing firms will soon follow suit in creating and selling digital versions of their magazines.

Shueisha is beginning their move with "Monthly JUMP SQ" and its special issue. All one has to do is download the free application "Monthly JUMP SQ" from the App store, select which issue they want and pay.

The issue of JUMP SQ that went on sale on 6th January is available to be read on iPads at ¥115. Never mind the fact that it's a month old, it's simply amazing that one can now purchase a magazine that cost ¥500 at just ¥115. The number of issues available will only increase from here on out.

In addition, upon downloading the "Monthly JUMP SQ" application, 2 issues of "JUMP SQ19" (special issue) will be available for free. Just like the physical version, one will be able to read just about all manga via this application (a small fraction of manga are not viewable on the app).

Right now, only "Monthly JUMP SQ" is available, but there is the possibility that other popular manga magazines such as "Weekly Shounen JUMP" will also be made available digitally.

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The Huis Ten Bosch theme park in the southwestern Japanese city of Sasebo will unveil a replica of the One Piece manga's Thousand Sunny pirate ship for short cruises on April 2. According to the park, this is the first recreation of the Thousand Sunny that visitors can climb aboard.

The replica will measure 30 meters (about 100 feet) long and weigh 430 tons. The ship can hold 250 people at a time as it floats in the water; the park is on Hario Island on the coast of Omura Bay. Visitors can watch the ship's Gaon Cannon "fire" and pose for photos with statues of the Straw Hat Pirates on the ship's deck. They can also relax at the onboard aquarium bar and view the ship's signature soldier-dock system and other recreated details.

A ticket for the replica ship costs 1,000 yen (about US$12), or 600 yen (US$7) for young children. (Discounted prices are available for the park's annual passport holders.) Each of the seven daily cruises lasts about 20 minutes as the ship travels along the coast of Omura Bay. The ship will be part of the park's larger One Piece attraction area, which will open a restaurant and a shop next month.

The assembly at the nearby Kumamoto Prefecture discussed building a separate replica of the manga's Going Merry (Merry Go in English) ship last year; the prefecture's capital of Kumamoto City happens to be the birthplace of One Piece's creator, Eiichiro Oda. Also last year, the Laguna Gamagori marine resort complex in central Japan hosted a "One Piece Memorial Log in Lagunasia" theme park attraction.

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Which manga characters do men in their 20s want as their lovers? Publishing firm Shueisha conducted a survey in their men's magazine "Weekly Playboy" (on sale 7th February). In an article titled "1000 Men in their 20s Choose: Head Over Heels Ranking", it was also revealed that the rankings varied quite significantly between men in Akihabara and Japanese men in general. It seems even the "Playboy" editorial division was surprised by this result.

The survey was conducted on 1000 men in their 20s who hold subscriptions to manga magazines. They were also asked which manga was their most favorite, and the rankings were:

1. ONE PIECE
2. NARUTO
3. Bakuman.

Now onto the main issue. First, these are the rankings for all the respondents:

1. Nami (ONE PIECE)
2. Nico Robin (ONE PIECE)
3. Boa Hancock (ONE PIECE)
4. Nishino Tsukasa (Ichigo 100%)
5. Asakura Minami (Touch)

The main reasons given by those who voted for these girls was that "they're beautiful" and "I can show off to my friends".

On the other hand, the same survey question posed to 100 men in Akihabara, famed as the otaku mecca of Japan, yielded very different results.

1. Nakano Azusa (K-ON!)
2. Akiyama Mio (K-ON!)
3. Katsura Hinagiku (Hayate no Gotoku)
4. Kurogami Kujira (Medaka Box)
5. Kagurazaka Asuna (Mahou Sensei Negima!)

Comparing the 2 rankings, it's obvious that while for the former, ONE PIECE's characters shined the most, whereas for the latter, it was the girls from K-ON! that did likewise. None of the 5 girls on either ranking made the other list. The "Playboy" editors commented, "It's surprising what a big difference there is between the normal survey and this one".

Another interesting survey conducted was the "I would never wanna be in this guy's shoes!" ranking. The results are as follows:

1. Usopp (ONE PIECE)
2. Nobi Nobita (Doraemon)
3. Ryoutsu Kankichi (Kochi Kame)
4. Yamcha (DRAGONBALL)

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Shiki, Tobaku Datenroku Kaiji: Kazuya Arc, One Piece Soushuuhen The 15th Log, Kochira Katsushika-ku Kamearikouen-mae Hashutsujo and Psyren fill out the rest of the top 10. All 3 volumes of Shingeki no Kyojin remain in the top 30 for the sixth week running.

Meanwhile, the 61st volume of One Piece, which earlier made the news for breaking Japan's first press printing record with a whopping 3.8 million copies, once again broke a record. This time, it sold 2.086 million copies in just 3 days starting from the 4th of February, thus making it to the top of the week's comic sales rankings in just that short window of time. Volume 61 broke through the 2 million barrier at a faster pace than its predecessor, which sold 2.094 million copies in 4 days.

One Piece has been selling over a million copies in the first week of every release since volume 50, which went on sale in April of 2008. This week, a stunning 40 volumes of One Piece ranked in the comic sales top 100. In addition, One Piece Soushuuhen The 15th Log also came it at 8th place.


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CLAMP's XXXHOLiC manga ends in March issue of Bessatsu Shounen Magazine, which went on sale on the 9th of February. The final volume, volume 19, will go on sale on the 9th of March. In addition to the regular edition, there will be a limited edition that will come with an original anime DVD "XXXHOLiC - Kago Adayume". There are also various official goods lined up. The following items will be going on sale: Guidbook "XXXHOLiC Zensho" in March, a postcard book in May and "XXXHOLiC Gouka Birei Gengashuu" (an art book) this summer.

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