The Manga Revolution marches insidiously forward as Tokyopop sets up a new message board. Categories include Anime, Fashion, Manga (obviously), and others. Judging by the guidelines, it looks like it’s going to be moderated fairly closely, which is never a bad thing. I’m particularly fond of guideline #3:
“Please read or re-read your posts before posting… Also, make sure that your post makes sense.”
Crazy dreamers!
Taking a look at the Manga section, I’m happy to see lots of love for Off*Beat. There’s also what I assume is a rhetorical question, and what was probably an inevitable one. In that last thread, there’s mention of an OEL differential that’s been floating around lately:
“I like OEL because it’s coming from a more western vantage point. Japanese manga can be fun to read, but the fact that the culture is so different from my own is kind of alienating. Sure, it’s interesting to read about people in other countries, but I can relate more to stories that are based in my own culture and country. The fact that the stories reflect a western sense of the world gives these stories that might otherwise fall into the category of monotony, blending in with all the other Japanese comics, a sense of innovation and originality.”
Every time I run across this position, I get involuntary and probably unfair flashes of Vicki Lawrence dressed up as Mama Harper exhorting me to “Buy American!” It’s starting to sound a bit like a pre-fabricated talking point.
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Chris Butcher weighs in on manga price structures, making the compelling, elegantly simple argument that publishers price things the way they do because they can.
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Should vendors start stocking up on past volumes of Bleach? Viz has announced that it’s “secured the television, home video and merchandising rights” to the property, and there have been whispers about the series showing up on Cartoon Network at some point in the future.
I seem to remember John Jakala saying nice things about Bleach, so I really should sample a volume or two.
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ICv2 doles out a little more information on Boychild’s upcoming title, The Japanese Drawing Room – Victorian Travelers in Japan, which sounds just fascinating.