Fan favorite gets manga adaptation
Good news for Baccano! fans! We may never get a second season of the anime, but we are getting a manga adaptation later this year. Based on the light novels by Ryohgo Narita, Baccano! tells the story about a group of alchemists and an elixir that grants immortality against a backdrop of the criminal underworld.
Yen Press announced they’d licensed the light novel series at Anime Expo last month. Who knows? Maybe the manga adaptation will be licensed some day, too! It could happen.
A horror manga begins to rise
People may still be focusing on Attack on Titan‘s relentless sales domination, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep our eyes on up-and-coming series. Case in point: Tokyo Ghoul. Originally a digital first title, VIZ Media debuted the series in March before releasing the print edition this past June. Prominently featured at the publisher’s Anime Expo booth and included in their manga sampler at a recent Barnes and Noble promotion, they’re definitely pushing Tokyo Ghoul hard. For good reason, too–it debuted on Bookscan’s Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels chart at #5 and rose to #2 in July. Will it last? Time will tell.
Tokyo Ghoul follows Ken Kaneki, a young man who survives a vicious ghoul attack and finds himself transformed into a half-ghoul. If you’ve unfamiliar with this series, be prepared. It’s a wild ride.
Another manga magazine starts digital distribution
Margaret, a biweekly shoujo manga magazine, announced that it was launching an electronic version called Nicoichi Margaret. The digital publication will collect two issues of the printed version and release it on a monthly basis for a lower price. Seems like a smart move. Japan’s print manga sales have been decreasing over the past few years.
Publisher seeks support for a new manga localization
Project H, known for publishing hentai manga, is looking to add a non-hentai, but definitely racy, to their catalog: Nana to Kaoru. To accomplish that goal, they’re asking fans to show their support for an English adaptation in the hopes it’ll convince mangaka, Ryuta Amazume. The BDSM sex comedy portrays the relationship between two childhood friends, Nana and Kaoru, as they navigate the lifestyle.