A quarterly roundup of manga news between July to September 2022
I have searched far and wide for exciting news, articles, and other stuff to share. This is the third of four roundups that I will do this year. (Click here for Q1 and here for Q2.) Keep in mind that this is not supposed to be a comprehensive rundown of everything in the manga world but rather stuff that I find interesting and wish to discuss and share with you. In this roundup, I present you with news that (mostly) occurred between July to September of 2022.
(NOTE: My personal commentary, notes, and asides will be in brackets like this: [comment].)
Digital-only Releases
Anime-Planet and Bilibili Comics forged a new partnership. You can now read the first chapters of 60 Bilibili Comics on Anime-Planet for free. (You'd have to read the rest of the series over on Bilibili Comics.) More details here.
Azuki announced two new exclusive licenses at Anime Expo, and they are My Dear Detective: Mitsuko’s Case Files and Turning the Tables on the Seatmate Killer!. Additionally, the subscription service added more Glacier Bay Book titles to its library.
You can now read Coolmic manga on your computer!
Kodansha's digital debuts from July to September include Desert Eagle, Gamaran, Hella Chill Monsters, and Our Love Doesn't Need a Happy Ending.
Square Enix launched MangaUp! to great criticism for its censorship and revenue scheme. The OASG has the full story. Since its initial launch, Square Enix has retracted its stance on censorship.
Vast Visual launched their website and released 2 new manga series Tokyo Interstellar Immigration and Paranoia Cage. Check out the website for more info.
Print/Digital Releases
Denpa announced two new licenses at Otakon. The company will publish Short Game and Tawawa on Monday in 2023. Details here.
Kodansha announced new print licenses for Spring 2023 at Anime Expo and Comic-Con. Highlights include The Yakuza's Bias, Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-Kun, and Lovely Muco!, Shaman King: Flowers, and Break of Dawn. Additionally, the company announced print debuts for several digital series, and highlights include Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms, Twilight Out of Focus, A Condition Called Love, and The Great Cleric. Finally, Kodansha will re-release Tetsuya Tsutsui's Prophecy as an all-in-one omnibus.
Publisher Saturday AM will release Clock Striker in February 2023. Penned by Issaka Galadima and Frederick L. Jones, Clock Striker features the first black female protagonist in shonen manga. Get a sneak peek and learn more here.
Star Fruit Books launched a new Horror imprint called Blood Orange. Check it out.
Seven Seas announced twelve new licenses at Anime Expo, and highlights include Do Not Say Mystery (as an omnibus), Marmalade Boy (new translated omnibus edition), The Eccentric Doctor of the Moon Flower Kingdom, The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-be-Wife, and The Villainess and the Demon Knight. The company still announces new licenses on most Wednesdays. Highlights include Cinderella Closet, I Didn't Mean to Fall in Love, My GIrlfriend's Child, Orange - to you dear one -, and Soloist in a Cage [read my review here]. Additionally, Seven Seas is adding to its Danmei line with three new novel series.
In more news, Seven Seas will re-translate the first volume of I Think I Turned My Childhood Friend into a Girl vol. 1. The company released an official statement about it on Twitter.
Tokyopop revealed 4 new titles at Anime Expo, and they are Scramblues, The Snake Who Loved a Sparrow, Be My Love, My Lord, and My Coworker has a Secret.
Yen Press revealed several new licenses at Anime Expo, and the highlights include Doomsday with my Dog, Honey Lemon Soda, Shy, and Oshi No Ko. Additionally, Yen Press announced five new titles in August and eight new titles in September. Highlights include Assorted Entanglements, Call the Name of the Night, SOTUS, and The Summer Hikaru Died.
General News
Crunchyroll bought out RightStufAnime in August. Several changes took place in the immediate aftermath. One, Crunchyroll removed the hentai from RightStufAnime and put it on a new website. Two, RightStuf now charges sales tax. What else is on the horizon for Crunchyroll and RighStufAnime?
Love Hina mangaka Ken Akamatsu is now a politician.
Shojo mangaka and pioneer Moto Hagio has been inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame!
Finally, in a sad bit of news, a lot of big names in the anime/manga and entertainment industry passed away. Japanese voice actor Kiyoshi Kobayashi passed away at 89 in July due to pneumonia. He was best known as the voice of Daisuke Jigen from the Lupin III franchise. (He voiced the character for 52 years before retiring!) Lupin III fan podcast "Sideburns and Cigarettes" paid tribute to Kobayashi in August.
Like Kobayashi, the King of Games himself Kazuki Takahashi's death did not go unnoticed. An outpouring of online grief and condolences rolled in for the mangaka behind Yu-Gi-Oh!. The mangaka died while snorkeling on vacation. He was 60.
Actress Pat Carroll died at 95. She was best known as the voice of Ursula from Disney's The Little Mermaid. (She reprised the character in the Kingdom Hearts franchise too!) She also voiced Granny in Disney's English dub of My Neighbor Totoro.
Actor James Caan passed away in July. He was 82. While he was best known for portraying Sonny Corleone in The Godfather, he did have a role in an anime film. He voiced the Bamboo Cutter in The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.
Last, but not least, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated while giving a speech in the city of Nara. He was 67. Abe's death has sparked outrage and grief as well as discussion and debate about his legacy. It also sparked some weirdness like...a far-right French politician misidentifying Abe's assassin as famous game creator Hideo Kojima.
General News: Anime Con Edition
Summer 2022 marks the return of in-person conventions for big (and small) cons.
North America's largest anime convention Anime Expo returns in downtown Los Angeles over the 4th of July weekend and not without controversy.
Day One at Anime Expo via AnimeNewsNetwork.
KTLA included the AnimeNewsNetwork tweet in its coverage of the convention. This news package addressed overcrowding and other safety concerns.
Additionally, the local FOX11 covered the event. [Skip to 1:16 to see the Blue Eyes White DragKWEEN! XD]
While news outlets may paint a rosy picture of events, individuals tell a more nuanced story. YouTuber Wholesome_Monk reviews Anime Expo.
T.R Racki, of Beneath The Tangles, shares his Day One experience at Anime Expo.
Writer Bamboo Dong, of AnimeNewsNetwork, talks about the carbon dioxide levels and poor ventilation in artist alley at Anime Expo.
Want to know everything that went down at Anime Expo? Head over to AnimeNewsNetwork.
Rob Salkowitz, of ICv2, talks about his experience at Crunchyroll Expo.
Deb Aoki pens an article about Comic-Con for Publisher's Weekly.
@MarzGurl reminds us that Anime Matsuri in Houston, TX is the literal worst anime convention in the USA via a long Twitter thread.
To reiterate, Anime Matsuri is THE WORST.
Learn about josei manga via the Josei, Not YA panel at San Diego Comic-Con.
Gone but not forgotten. San Antonio-based anime convention San Japan pays tribute to voice actors Christopher Ayers and Billy Kametz.
Feature Articles
Coherent Cats has updated their list of asexual characters in manga. Check it out here.
Ono Kōsei talks about the history of "Japanese Spiderman" in an essay translated by Jon Holt and Saki Hirozane for The Comics Journal.
Shojo Corner analyzed age gaps in shojo manga.
Mangablogger @ShoujoseiWorld created a Twitter thread of academic journals and articles to check out if you're interested in learning more about shoujo and josei manga.
That Manga Hunter asks and answers the question, "Should Shojo Beat grow up?"
Vrai Kaiser pens a list of anime to suit your every mood. Check it out via Fanbyte.
Interviews
Anime Feminist interviewed independent manga artist Minami Sakai and American voice actor Zeno Robinson.
Anime News Network interviewed the mangaka behind The Dangers in My Heart Norio Sakurai.
ICV2 interviewed Viz Media Vice President Publishing Sales Kevin Hamric on supply chain issues, Chainsaw Man, Spy x Family, and more. The outlet also interviewed Seven Seas on the growing popularity of webtoons.
Kodansha launched a separate site containing interviews with people inspired by the books it publishes. Highlights include mangakas Moyocco Anno, Satoru Hiura, Rin Mikimoto, and Ayu Watanabe. Besides mangaka, Kodansha interviewed famous people and celebrities. They include cosplayer Enako, actor and comedian Takeshi Kitano, and tennis star Naomi Osaka. Check out the site here.
Reviews
Blerdy Otome reviews the first volume of the #RelatableAF manga Life Lessons With Uramichi Oniisan.
Drunk Anime Blog reviews the first volume of Penguin & House and the badminton anime Salaryman's Club. [I've been meaning to finish that anime! Now I can with a drink in hand. XD]
Manga Librarian reviews the first volume of the manwha The Beginning After the End.
That Manga Hunter reviews the first seven volumes of Something's Wrong With Us. Also, she reviews the anime The Millionaire Detective. [I have the ending theme song "Welcome My Friend" on repeat now.]
Anime
Another AnimeFiesta show is coming our way! Ascendant Animation has licensed and dubbed season 1 of Show Time!. Release date is still TBD, but you can follow the company on Twitter for updates. (AnimeFiesta will release Season 2 in January 2023!)
If you're a fan of reverse harem [like me!], you'll be pleased to know that the fall season is stacked with anime (and other content) to enjoy! The Reverse Harem Garden blog has a full list. Check it out here.
Mob Psycho lead voice actor Kyle McCarley revealed that he won't be returning to the third season of the show because of Crunchyroll. Crunchyroll won't work with actors under the SAG-AFTRA union contract. Kotaku has the full story.
"It's over." Voice actor Vic Mignona has lost his sexual harassment defamation suit.
Shopping deals & sales
Kodansha is back at it again with another digital manga bundle. (DRM-free!) This time from Fanatical. Get over $850 worth of manga for just $20. Series include Fairy Tail, Fire Force, Vinland Saga, and Shaman King. The sale ends October 31. Full details here.
Let's Discuss
Manga blogger @ShoujoseiWorld created a survey and asked people to list their top 3 favorite manga across the big four demographics (shounen, shoujo, josei, and seinen) and to list their #1 unlicensed manga that they're dying to see published. Check out the results!
[I took the survey too! If you're interested in what my answers were, then check out this thread.]
YouTuber Caleb Hyles sings about unfair practices in the anime industry. The music accompanies a professionally rendered animated video where workers were compensated fairly.
YouTuber Ray Mona has found the lost pilot for the American live-action Sailor Mooon! Ray Mona talks about the process behind finding the pilot and the pilot's history in a two-part document. Watch Part 1 here. Check out the pilot episode below!
While not directly anime related, the HBO Max "purge" reminds anime (and manga) fans that access to digital content is a precarious situation. Mother's Basement has a great video on the topic.
Mangatuber Colleen's Manga Recs tackles misogyny in the anime and manga community.
Just for fun
Need horror, supernatural, and fantasy manga in time for Halloween? I gotchu. Here's what I found and recommend.
Creative artist* @Kieraplease interviews people at Crunchyroll Expo 2022.
Director Jordan Peele did the thing.
[If you haven't watched NOPE yet, you're missing out!]
According to Zion Williamson, around 80% of NBA basketball players love anime but just won't admit it. He discusses his love for Naruto with GQ Magazine. On a related note, Detroit Lions' running back Jamaal Williams wants his fans to bring him "anime stuff."
Enako cosplays Rumiko Takhashi characters like Ranma (girl type), Lum, and Akemi (from Maison Ikkoku). Check it out via Otaku USA.
Speaking of awesome Rumiko Takahashi-inspired cosplay, check out this Ranma 1/2 routine!
Spotted at a Barnes & Noble—
In August, Megan Thee Stallion visited the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure 10th Anniversary Exhibit in Tokyo.
Voice actor PROZD guest stars in an episode of the "Trash Taste" podcast.
In honor of the new Urusei Yatsura anime adaptation, here is the British dub of the old series.
Rooster Fighter
"Lupin III" was spotted evading police in Japan.
It's Halloween-time! @Horrorprops recreates a pivotal scene from Stranger Things in their driveway.
And lastly, here's some great art and one funny video.
Disperse! Go forth and read!
That concludes this quarter's wrap-up. Q4's wrap-up will be released late December/early January. So, what did I miss? Hit me up in the comments or Twitter @THatMangaHunter.
Happy reading!
(Note: 11/3/22* changed "Cosplayer @Kieraplease" to "Creative artist @Kieraplease" following tweet.)