manganews.net

The New York Times has published its weekly list of the top 10 selling manga books.

After a week in which the list remained almost static, three new books debuted this week, including a new number one.

Negima! (Magister Negi Magi), Volume 25, debuted in first place while the second volume of Soul Eater debuted in third place.

Last week’s number one book--Naruto, Volume 47--dropped to second.

The next four books kept their order from last week, only three spots lower, with Vampire Knight, Black Butler, Black Bird and Alice in the Country of Hearts filling fourth through seventh places.

Yu-Gi-Oh! R, Volume 3, moved up two spots to eighth, while Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 22, dropped three spots from last week to ninth place.

Rounding out the top 10 was the week’s third debut--the second volume of Higurashi: When They Cry.

Dropping off the list was Naruto, Volume 46, D. Gray-Man, Volume 16, and Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Volume 4.

The full list was:

1. Negima! (Magister Negi Magi), Volume 25, by Ken Akamatsu (Del Ray)

2. Naruto, Volume 47, by Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ Media)

3. Soul Eater, Volume 2, by Atsushi Ohkubo (Yen Press)

4. Vampire Knight, Volume 9, by Matsuri Hino (VIZ Media)

5. Black Butler, Volume 1, by Yana Toboso (Yen Press)

6. Black Bird, Volume 3, by Kanoko Sakurakoji (VIZ Media)

7. Alice in the Country of Hearts, Volume 1, by Quinrose and Soumei Hoshino (Tokyopop)

8. Yu-Gi-Oh! R, Volume 3, by Kazuki Takahashi and Akira Ito (VIZ Media)

9. Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 22, by Hiromu Arakawa (VIZ Media)

10. Higurashi: When They Cry, Volume 2, by Ryukishi07 and Jiro Suzuki (Yen Press)

Comment on this article in our forum.

VIZ Media, LLC, brings manga creator Yuu Watase’s blend of mythical fantasy adventure and lavish artwork for the North American debut of Arata: The Legend on March 9.

The new series is published under the Shonen Sunday imprint and will be rated “T” for Teens. In a world where humans and gods coexist, Arata is the unfortunate successor to the matriarchal Hime Clan--unfortunate because if he's not cross-dressing to hide his gender one minute, he's fleeing for his life the next. When Arata winds up in the modern world and switches places with a boy named Arata Hinohara, it's a wonder which Arata is actually better off.

In Volume 1, Hinohara is the spitting image of Arata, so he suddenly finds himself fighting people after his life. As he navigates through this foreign world filled with power-hungry warriors, who will come to his aid? One thing's for sure--it's not easy being Arata.

“I’m really excited to see Arata: The Legend joining the Shonen Sunday imprint. The art is gorgeous, the series is action-packed and no one can create a lush fantasy world the way Yuu Watase can,” said Amy Yu, editor at VIZ Media. “Fans who know her work in the shojo genre will experience a whole new side to this creative mastermind.”

Born in Osaka, Yuu Watase debuted in the Shôjo Comic manga anthology in 1989. She won the 43rd Shogakukan Manga Award with Ceres: Celestial Legend. One of her most well-known works is Fushigi Yûgi, which inspired a prequel Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden. In 2008, Arata: The Legend started serialization in Weekly Shonen Sunday.

Read the full press release in our forum.

Gulf News has published an interview with the United Arab Emirates’ first manga author, Qais Sedki, creator of Gold Ring.

An information technology specialist, Sedki has published one volume of his work and is working on a second. He is also translating the first volume into English.

“I love manga, anything Japanese actually,” he said, talking to fans about creating Gold Ring. “Even though I was still searching for my passion, I knew that I also wanted to make an impact. And soon, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do something for children. So I began working on Gold Ring, which wasn't easy but it paid off.”

Last month, Gold Ring won the Sheikh Zayed Book Award in the Children's Literature category. Sedki was the first Emirati author to win the award.

Comment on this article in our forum.

Japanese publisher Kodansha reported a loss of ¥5.7 billion (approximately $64 million) during its 2009 fiscal year.

According to a report from Yomiuri Shimbun, translated by Anime News Network, the company saw a 25.9 percent drop in magazine advertising revenue and a 7.8 percent drop in overall sales.

Kodansha reported a loss of ¥7.7 billion ($86 million) in 2008.

Comment on this article in our forum.

Tokyopop announced today (Monday) it has licensed Kenji Sonishi’s Neko Ramen manga.

The company broke the news during its webinar, adding that the first volume will be released in June.

The 4-koma comedy follows Taishou, a cat who owns and runs a ramen shop. The manga is still running in Japan and is published in the magazine Monthly Comic Blade.

Found via Kuriousity

Comment on this article in our forum.

Artist Nick Simmons, facing allegations he plagiarized artwork from Bleach for his comic Incarnate, has issued a statement claiming the similarities between the works were an “homage to artists I respect.”

“Like most artists I am inspired by work I admire,” Simmons said in a statement released today (Monday). “There are certain similarities between some of my work and the work of others. This was simply meant as an homage to artists I respect, and I definitely want to apologize to any manga fans or fellow manga artists who feel I went too far. My inspirations reflect the fact that certain fundamental imagery is common to all manga. This is the nature of the medium.”

“I am a big fan of Bleach, as well as other manga titles. And I am certainly sorry if anyone was offended or upset by what they perceive to be the similarity between my work and the work of artists that I admire and who inspire me.”

The allegations began spreading across the Internet last week on forums and LiveJournal communities, ultimately leading Incarnate’s publisher Radical to halt work on the title while it investigates the claims.

“We at Radical Publishing, Inc. and Radical Comics, Inc. are quite concerned to hear the news surrounding Nick Simmons’s Incarnate Comic Book,” the company posted on its blog on Feb. 25.

“We are taking this matter seriously and making efforts now to contact the publishers of the works in question in an effort to resolve this matter. We have halted further production and distribution of the Incarnate comic book and trade paperback until the matter is resolved to the satisfaction of all parties. Rest assured that Radical is taking swift action regarding this matter and will continue in its efforts to maintain the integrity and protect the intellectual property of artists throughout the world whose creative works are the bedrock of our Company and the comic book industry.”

Comment on this article in our forum.

Bandai Entertainment Inc. recently announced it has licensed two new manga anthology series: Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion Knights and Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion Queens.

Knights, Volume 1, which features the subtitle “Official Manga Anthology for Girls,” will be released in May. The series runs five volumes to date and features a series of short stories, many with a humorous slant, by different manga-ka focusing on the male characters of Code Geass.

Queens, Volume 1, which similarly features the subtitle “Official Manga Anthology for Boys” will be released in June. This series also has five volumes and focuses on the female characters of the Code Geass storyline in a series of short stories from various manga-ka.

“The subtitles notwithstanding, both series should appeal to both genders and feature a lot of creative and fun situations with everyone’s favorite Code Geass characters. The art is a great throughout and both series have some great comedy,” said Robert Napton of Bandai Entertainment Inc.

Read the full press release in our forum.

Episode Eight of Jouhou Cast, featuring Manga Jouhou's own Eric Robinson, is now available.

Give it a listen and let everyone know what you think!

The New York Times has published its weekly list of the top 10 selling manga books.

The list remained static this week with no new titles and only one book moving more than one spot up or down the rankings.

Naruto, Volume 47, and Vampire Knight, Volume 9, retained their first and second place positions. Black Butler and Black Bird switched places for third and fourth respectively. Alice in the Country of Hearts stayed level in fifth.

Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 22, Naruto, Volume 46, D. Gray-Man, Volume 16, and Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Volume 4, each moved up one spot for sixth through ninth places.

Yu-Gi-Oh! R, Volume 3, which was in sixth place last week, fell to 10th. The full list was:

1. Naruto, Volume 47, by Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ Media)

2. Vampire Knight, Volume 9, by Matsuri Hino (VIZ Media)

3. Black Butler, Volume 1, by Yana Toboso (Yen Press)

4. Black Bird, Volume 3, by Kanoko Sakurakoji (VIZ Media)

5. Alice in the Country of Hearts, Volume 1, by Quinrose and Soumei Hoshino (Tokyopop)

6. Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 22, by Hiromu Arakawa (VIZ Media)

7. Naruto, Volume 46, by Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ Media)

8. D. Gray-Man, Volume 16, by Katsura Hoshino (VIZ Media)

9. Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Volume 4, by Naoyuki Kageyama and Kazuki Takahashi (VIZ Media)

10. Yu-Gi-Oh! R, Volume 3, by Kazuki Takahashi and Akira Ito (VIZ Media)

Comment on this article in our forum.

Anime News Network reported today (Sunday) three digital manga magazines are set to launch in Japan for mobile phones with plans to expand into North America and elsewhere.

According to the report, which ANN translated from a CNET Japan article, publishers Shonen Gahosha Co., Takeshobo, and Mag Garden will launch the magazines through mobile manga provider MTT Solmare.

The new magazines are Young King Alpha from Shonen Gahosha, Shin Kindan Grimm Dōwa from Takeshobo and Blade Alpha from Mag Garden, and each will launch this week.

Last summer NTT Solmare launched a number of digital manga titles through Apple’s app store for its iPhone.

Comment on this article in our forum.