With the demise of One Manga and the rise of legit digital manga sites, there has been plenty of action in the online manga space over the past week. At Robot 6, I took the online version of Yen Plus for a test drive, while at Anime Sentinel, James Fleenor takes a look at the new Square Enix manga site. Shaenon Garrity interviewed Moto Hagio at San Diego Comic-Con, and Hagio goes beyond the usual bland manga-ka cha and really talks about her influences and the issues in her life. Deb Aoki reports on the manga scene at San Diego Comic-Con, which included some interesting new licenses from indie graphic novel publishers as well as traditional manga publishers and a flurry of news about online manga. ANN reports that Kinokuniya bookstores in the U.S. have stopped carrying five anime pin-up magazines : Megami Magazine, Megami Magazine Deluxe, Nyantype, Dengeki Hime, and Dengeki Moeoh. Sankaku Complex (NSFW) has more, including a scan of a letter to a customer from Kinokuniya, stating We are writing this letter to inform you that we no longer handle subscriptions to Megami magazine since it has recently come to our attention that the magazine may contain inappropriate contents which may not comply with applicable state, local, and/or federal regulations. It is our policy to take a cautious approach in conducting our business in full compliance with any applicable state, local, and/or federal regulations. Caveat: I have never read these magazines, so I’m taking the reporters’ word for it, but according to Sankaku Complex, “None of these titles carry explicit nudity or sexual content – only doe-eyed anime maidens in great profusion.” The magazines are not classified as “harmful publications” in Japan (although that classification can be somewhat erratic, IIRC), and as far as anyone can tell, U.S. Customs allowed the magazines to be imported with no problems. Sankaku Complex spoke to someone at Kinokuniya who mentioned “customer complaints,” while ANN spoke to someone who said the magazines “could carry some pictures that could be understood as child porn.” Sean Gaffney, David Welsh, and Kate Dacey look over this week’s new releases. The Manga Moveable Feast continues with reviews and views on Paradise Kiss from Sean Gaffney, Ed Sizemore, and Lori Henderson. In the latest Manhwa Monday, Melinda Beasi welcomes a new contributor, Hana Lee, and rounds up the week’s manhwa news. Hana jumps right in with an introduction to Korean webcomics. Caddy comments on the character Ren in Skip Beat! at A Feminist Otaku. News from Japan: Canned Dogs reports that Urotan is taking a break from the Strike Witches manga after getting off to a rocky start and suffering from “psychological exhaustion.” Kagami Yoshimuzu ( Lucky Star ) and Kanao Araki ( Futakoi Alternative ) have launched a new series in Monthly Comp Ace magazine. A manga based on the Gundam W: Endless Waltz anime is also in the works. And ANN has the latest Japanese comics rankings. Reviews David Welsh on Alice the 101st (The Manga Curmudgeon) Erica Friedman on Book Girl and the Suicidal Mime (novel) (The Manga Curmudgeon) Kristin on vol. 3 of Children of the Sea (Comic Attack) Amy Grockl on The Clique (Comics Village) Dave Ferraro on vol. 1 of ES (Comics-and-More) Snow Wildsmith on vol. 1 of Library Wars: Love and War (Fujoshi Librarian) Kate Dacey on vol. 2 of Flower in a Storm and vol. 2 of Moyasimon (The Manga Critic) Justin Colussy-Estes on vol. 1 o f My Girlfriend’s A Geek (Comics Village) Clive Owen on vol. 2 of Ninja Girls (Animanga Nation) Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Ugly Duckling Love Revolution (A Case Suitable for Treatment) Carl Kimlinger on vol. 8 of Yotsuba&! (ANN)
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